
Book ^ / . 

/9/z 



With the Comph'ments of 

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 

NEW HAVEN, CONN., U. S. A. ' 



YALE STUDIES IN ENGLISH 
ALBERT S. COOK, Editor 



Ijht-i 



XL^ Gr-< 



CYNTHIA'S REVELS 

OR, 

THE FOUNTAIN OF SELF-LOVE 

BY 

BEN JONSON 

\\ 

Edited with Introduction, Notes, and Glossary 

BY 

ALEXANDER CORBIN JUDSON, Ph.D. 

Instructor in English in the University of Texas 



A Thesis presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Yale 
University in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 



NEW YORK 

HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY 
1912 



WEIMAR: POINTED BY R. WAGNER SOHN. 



PREFACE 

Cynthia's Revels, because of its formlessness, com- 
plexity, and allegorical nature, probably yields less to the 
average reader than any other of Jonson's plays. This 
edition represents an effort to make the play more 
intelligible, partly by disentangling and analyzing its 
various elements, and partly by a detailed explanation 
of its obscurities and allusions. This has not been so 
dreary a task as one would imagine, to judge from the 
criticism which has for years been dealt out to this 
' comicall satyre.' Swinburne's characterization, for exam- 
ple, of Jonson's 'cyclopean ponderosity of perseverance 
which hammers through scene after scene at the task of 
ridicule by anatomy of tedious and preposterous futilities,' 
is hardly calculated to bias many toward the play. 
I have no wish to palliate its faults: its woeful lack of 
dramatic action, monotonous repetition of absurdities, 
and absence of artistic unity are all apparent enough. 
But no true impression of it is derived from a mere 
enumeration of its imperfections. With all its blemishes, 
one is yet constantly aware that it is a product of Jonson's 
maturing powers; and, aside from its literary qualities, 
it presents, especially to the student, questions of ab- 
sorbing interest, most of which have hitherto received but 
little serious attention. What relation does it bear to the 
Stage- Quarrel, that fiery war fought out on the boards of 
the common stage ? Who are the detractors of Cynthia, 
and who the culprits upon whom she has visited divine 
justice? Does the satire of manners, which forms the 
groundwork of the play, represent a conventional or an 
original and sincere attack on the foppery of the time? 
These are some of the problems which Cynthia's Revels 

a2 



iv Preface 

presents, and which render it in many ways quite as 
interesting as a masterpiece Hke Epiccene or The Al- 
chemist — and as important, too, for all those who wish 
to study the development of Jonson's dramatic art 
and genius. 

It is hoped that the method of handling the text will 
find approval. This method, which, so far as I know, has 
never before been accorded to a folio text, is fully ex- 
plained in the section dealing with the variations in the 
impressions of the folio. In recording variant readings 
of later editions, only such have been chosen as seemed 
clearly significant, a proceeding which will, perhaps, 
render the foot-notes to the text of genuine interest to 
the average reader. Certain difficulties have appeared 
which all my efforts have not enabled me to solve ; these 
have been frankly stated in order that the attention of 
future students of the play may be focused upon them. 

My hearty thanks are due to Mr. W. A. White of New 
York City for the generous loan of his quarto of Cynthia's 
Revels; to Professor William Lyon Phelps for the un- 
limited use of his copy of the folio of 1616; to Professor 
Kenneth McKenzie and to Mr. C. F. Tucker Brooke for 
assistance on several points; and to Mr. Andrew Keogh 
and to Mr. Henry R. Gruener for bibliographical aid. 
To Professor Albert S. Cook I owe a special debt of 
gratitude for constant inspiration, and much patient 
criticism of my work. 

A portion of the expense of printing this thesis has 
been borne by the Modern Language Club of Yale Uni- 
versity, from funds placed at its disposal by the gener- 
osity of Mr. George E. Dimock, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, 
a graduate of Yale in the Class of 1874. 

A. C. J. 
Yale University, 

May I, 191 1. 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 



INTRODUCTION 










A. Editions of the Text 

I. The Quarto . . 

II. The Folio of 1616 

1. Changes and Additions in the Folio 

2. Remarks on the Variations in the Im- 
pressions of the Folio 

III. Subsequent Editions 

B. Date and Reception of Cynthia's Revels 


vii 
viii 
viii 

xii 
xvii 
xxi 


C. Cynthia and the Allegory 


xxiii 


D. The Satire 

I. Satire of Manners 

1. Analysis .... 

2. Satire an Expression of the Age 
II. Satire of Persons : The Stage-Quarrel 


xxxii v/ 
xxxii 

XXXV 

xliv 


E, Sources 
I. Lyly 
II. Classical Borrowings . 

III. Sixteenth Century Satire 

IV. The Character-Books 

V. Timon .... 






Ivii 

Ixiii ^ 
Ixvisy 
Ixvi 
Ixxii 


F. Criticisms 








Ixxiv 


TEXT 








1 


TEXTUAL NOTES 








163 


EXPLANATORY NOTES 








159 


GLOSSARY 








237 


BIBLIOGRAPHY . 








258 


INDEX 








264 



INTRODUCTION 

A. EDITIONS OF THE TEXT 

I. THE QUARTO 

Cynthia'f: Revels was first published, in quarto, in 
1601. A reproduction of the title-page is given on page 5. 
Through the kindness of Mr. W. A. White of New York 
City, it has been possible to collate his copy of the 
quarto with the folio of 1616, which furnishes the basis 
of our text; all differences, other than mere changes in 
punctuation, speUing, capitahzation, and italicization, 
will be found recorded as foot-notes to the text. They 
will be discussed in the next section. Professor Bang 
has furnished, in Band 22 of the Materialien zur Kunde 
des Alter en Englischen Dramas, an excellent repnnt 
of the quarto, from the copy in the Bodleian Library 
(Malone 193). A detailed comparison of Mr. White's 
copy with this reprint shows that the quarto, like the 
folio, ^ underwent correction in the course of the printing 
off. The variations are confined to the single side of 
two sheets, and are, for the most part, corrections of 
rather evident typographical errors. The corrected sheets, 
the outer sides of the sheets bearing the signatures C and E, 
are found in Mr. White's copy. C has corrections on all 
four pages, nineteen in number ; E has but one correction. 
The only changes of real interest are 'would' to 'should,' 
and 'our' to 'your,' on pages C2v and C3 (Bang's re- 
print, lines 598 and 633), respectively. 

^ See section II. 2. below, which deals with the variations in the 
impressions of the foUo of 1616. 



viii Introduction 

II. THE FOLIO OF 1616 
I. Changes and Additions in the Folio 

In view of the number and nature of the alterations 
to which Cynthia's Revels was subjected upon its repubh- 
cation in the folio of 1616, it is certain that Jonson, and 
no other, was the reviser. Since we do not know what 
liberties the printer may have taken with the spelling 
and punctuation of the quarto, it is sufficient merely to 
call attention to the greater uniformity and correctness 
shown in the folio, and to the striking improvement in 
the appearance of the printed page brought about by the 
elimination of unnecessary italics and capitals. Among 
alterations of minor importance may be mentioned the 
change from Latin to English of the terms used to 
designate the parts of the drama, as Prceludium, Actus, 
Palinodia, etc., the failure to reprint the Exit and Exeunt 
of the quarto, and the effort to modify the rigor of the 
oaths in accordance with the well-known regulation put 
into effect by James I in 1606. It is amusing to notice 
Jonson's substitutes for the name of the Deity. Some- 
times the courtiers turn Roman, and swear by Jove, 
Hercules, and Venus; sometimes the newly enthroned god 
of tobacco furnishes them such oaths as ' by this vapor ' 
or 'by this light.' Occasionally Jonson fails to correct 
the prohibited word. 

The more important changes consist in substitutions of 
single words, and in additions of phrases, sentences, and 
passages of considerable length. Nothing shows better 
than the word-substitutions the extreme care with which 
the text was revised; most of them either increase the 
vividness or are clearly better adapted to the context. 
Such changes as 'button' to 'band' (1.4. 157) and 'rose' to 
'ribband' (1.4. 119) may represent a change in the fashions 
of the fantastic courtiers, produced by an interval of a 



Editions of the Text ix 

few years. Other interesting substitutions are as follows : 
'butter-flies' for 'coxcombs' (i. 4. 77); 'fittons and fig- 
ments' for 'fictions' (i. 4. 22); 'coach-horse' for 'tilt- 
horse' (4. I. 39); 'Ignis fatue' for 'Hell-fire' (5. 10. 58); 
'face, like a sea-monster, that were to ravish Andro- 
meda from the rocke' for 'face, like a squeez'd Orenge, 
sower, sower' (4. i. 67). The minor additions also show 
careful thought: a few serve to fill out imperfect lines 
in the verse (5. 5. 2; 5. 11. 50), but the greater number 
are employed to accentuate and explain the thought (2. 
3. 49), or to add a touch of humor (i. 4. 153—5). The 
more important additions, amounting in all to nearly a 
thousand lines, are as follows: 

3. I. 33—77: Amorphus gives Asotus several practical 
rules for forcing his way into noble society. 

3. 4. 22—41: Crites furnishes Arete with a sketch of 
two of the courtiers whom he has just seen in the pres- 
ence-chamber. 

4. I. 138—219 : Moria, Philautia, and Phantaste 
describe the happy estates into which they would wish 
themselves if Jove gave them permission. 

4. 3. 159—203: The courtiers play a second game, 
A thing done, and Who did it. 

4. 5. 77-101, and 4. 5. 143-5- 5- i- (800 lines): 
Amorphus, learning that the revels must be postponed, 
determines to exhibit, by open challenge, the proficiency 
in courtship of his pupil, Asotus. Crites and Mercury 
conclude to accept the challenge, and try to surpass the 
courtiers in their own folly; their attempt meets with 
success. 

The only omission of quarto-matter is the Beggars' 
Rime from 2. 5. As it is a mere jingle, remarkable only for 
the great number of sharpers of various sorts enumerated 
in so few lines, Jonson did well to drop it from the folio. 

Our resentment at Jonson for having swelled a play. 



X Introduction 

already sufficiently long, to such an unreasonable length, 
is likely to weaken our appreciation of the chief additions. 
To be sure, parts of the contest in courtship make very 
dull reading, and must have depended largely on the 
actors' ability for their success; but several of the addi- 
tions — for example, the one which records the wishes of 
the court -ladies — suggest in the keenness and vigor of 
their satire the ripest maturity of Jonson's genius. 

We have, apparently, no means of determining when the 
several chief additions were composed. While it is possible 
that they were written when the play was being revised for 
publication in the folio, it is perhaps more reasonable to 
assume that its success on the stage was the stimulus to 
their composition at an earlier time. Dr.C. R. Baskervill, in 
a recently published work, entitled English Elements in Jon- 
son's Early Comedy'^ (191 1). offers a novel view. 'I believe/ 
he says, 'that the longer form was the original form, or at 
least was earher thSin Poetaster.' He supports this opinion 
by arguing that the hostihty of the courtiers to Crites is 
treated most fully here ; that here the bitterest personal 
satire, and the most daring attacks on the court are found; 
that Mistress Downfall, who appears only in the longer 
version, furnishes a first study of the character of Chloe 
in Poetaster^, while the efforts of the pseudo-gallants to 
disgrace Crites foreshadow the hostility to Horace; he 
further finds a 'possible hint' of Jonson's 'foure choice, 
and principall weapons'^ of courtship in the ' foure sundrie 
weapons'* at which Bubo challenges Asinus. 

Upon careful examination, I find these arguments un- 
convincing. In the first place, it is highly improbable 
that the longer form is the original; for, though it is 
conceivable that Jonson might have made later additions, 
it is hard to believe that he would have deliberately shorn 

1 P. 227. 2 cf. Poetaster 4. 1, p. 444 with Cyn. Rev. 5. 3. 45-8. 

* 4. 5. 98. * Satiromastix, p. 233. 



Editions of the Text xi 

away large sections of his play when publishing it in the 
quarto. Dr. Baskervill offers no reason which could have 
prompted such a procedure. Indeed, the parts peculiar to 
the longer form contain passages of rare vigor and excel- 
lence, and were, of course, deemed worthy a place in the 
folio of 1616. But it is suggested that the longer form, 
if not the original form, was at least earlier than Poetaster 
— in other words, that the additions were composed after 
the quarto had gone to the press, but before Poetaster 
was finished. The quarto, however, could not have 
reached the printer much earlier than March i, 1607, 
since, as I shall later show, it contains allusions to an 
event which had taken place late in February, 160^. 
Poetaster, judging from internal evidence, seems to have 
made its first appearance in the spring or early summer 
of 1601.^ Though written at top speed with the purpose 
of forestalling an expected attack, its composition re- 
quired, as Jonson tells us, fifteen weeks. ^ It seems, then, 
highly improbable that he could have spared time to write 
extensive additions to Cynthia's Revels. Accordingly, 
irrespective of the contents of the parts lacking in the 
quarto, it is not likely that the longer version is the 
earlier. Turning to the courting-contest, do we find, as 
Dr. Baskervill affirms, that the hostility of the courtiers 
to Crites is here most fully treated ? In my opinion, their 
hostility is not to be compared with that found in Act 
3, scene 3. They desire to disgrace him, not because of 
personal envy or hatred, but because he is a fellow in 
black, i. e., a scholar, and poor. I believe the satire in 
this scene, in spite of a few lines which might bear a 
different interpretation, is essentially impersonal, being 
nothing more than ridicule of insincere and affected 
gallantry; Crites himself twice asserts that this is its 

^ Small, Stage-Quarrel, p. 25. 

2 Poetaster, Speech of Envy, p. 370. 



xii Introduction 

purpose (5. 1. 17—22; 5. 4. 178—82). The fact that we here 
have a daring attack on the court furnishes at best 
but a general indication as to the time of composition. 
Mistress Downfall may as well be an echo as a first 
study of Chloe; indeed, both find a prototype in Fallace 
in Every Man out of his Humor. And finally, the fact 
that, of the many clear references to Cynthia's Revels in 
Satiromastix, only one 'possible hint' of the courting- 
contest can be found, is to me a chief argument that it 
was unknown to Dekker. 



2. Remarks on the Variations in the Impressions 
of the Folio 

The necessarily slow process of printing in Jonson's 
time made it possible to correct an edition while it was 
passing through the press. We know that this was often 
done, since many books of the period show numerous 
slight variations in copies of the same edition. One who 
has never made a study of the matter might suppose that 
they represented different editions published in the same 
year. A comparison of the text of two of these copies, 
however, convinces one that they were printed from 
the same forms. 

Greg says: 'Of this habit of correcting the text while 
a work was printing off, there is ... no more interesting 
case than that of the first folio of Ben Jonson's works, 
though, so far as I know, no notice has ever been taken of 
it, beyond a few obvious points occurring on the titlepages 
to the various parts. '^ Since this was written (1902), 
there have been at least two published collations of parts 
of the text where two or more copies of the edition were 
used. In 1905 Bang published in his Materialien zur 

^ A List of Masques, Pageants, (S'C, p. xiii. 



Editions of the Text xiii 

Kunde des A Iteren Englischen Dramas a careful reprint of 
the first 275 pages of the 1616 foHo, using for his text a 
copy in his own possession. He accompanied his reprint 
with a hst of variant readings made from another copy 
found in the Royal Library at the Hague. In 1906 
Aurelia Henry published Epiccene in the Yale Studies 
in English; she based her text on one edition, and printed, 
as foot-notes, the variants from two other copies of the 
same edition Though marking a definite advance over 
all previous handling of the folio text, the method would 
have proved more satisfactory had there been an effort 
to determine which were the corrected readings. The 
variants, being largely typographical errors, possess in 
themselves little interest, and hardly deserve a place 
among intrinsically valuable readings of later editions. 

In preparing the present text, I have used the folio 
copy in the Yale University Library (Y), a copy lent me 
by Professor William Lyon Phelps of Yale University (P), 
Bang's reprint mentioned above (B), and his published 
list of variants from the Hague copy (H) . The well-known 
accuracy of the latter 's reprints justifies the use I have 
made of his work. Before attempting to explain the 
method I have employed, a few general remarks as to the 
nature and origin of the variants may be in place. 

In the case of the Jonson folio, even the least corrected 
sheets show so few errors that we may infer a very 
careful reading of proof before the printing began. Some 
one, however, in the course of the printing off, must have 
glanced over the completed work from time to time, and, 
upon discovering an error, corrected it before further 
printing was done. In general, where a positive error 
was corrected, the opportunity seems to have been taken 
to re-examine the whole sheet, i. e., the two pages printed 
at the same time from a single form, and to make various 
slight improvements in punctuation, spelling, and type. 



xiv Introduction 

The nicety of these changes suggests the work of Jonson 
himself, whose exceptional care in such matters is well 
known. In rare instances pages show that they have 
imdergone two distinct corrections after the printing off 
had begun. Apparently the binding was postponed till 
a large part of the printing, perhaps all of it, was done; 
for sheets more and less corrected seem to have been 
bound together at random. Hence, to print the text as it 
appears in any smgle copy is frankly to disregard correc- 
tions certainly authorized, if not actually made, by Jonson 
himself. 

Probably no definitive text could be prepared without 
an examination of all existing copies of the edition ; but 
certainly an approximation to the text which must have 
had Jonson 's final approval is arrived at by a selection 
of the sheets which were evidently printed from the most 
corrected forms ; and this is the principle I have adopted in 
preparing the text here given. Each sheet (technically 
speaking) of the folio consists of three sheets of four pages 
each, bound together so that, of the twelve pages, the 
first sheet has numbers i, 2, 11, and 12, the second, 
3, 4, 9, and 10, and the third, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Accordingly, 
I and 12 were printed at one time, 2 and 11 at a later 
time after the ink on the other side had dried, 3 and 10 
at one time, and so on. i and 12, then, form the outer 
side of, say, signature X, 2 and 11 the inner side, 3 and 10 
the outer side of X2, 4 and 9 the inner. From this dis- 
cussion it is clear that not the sheet, nor even the single 
signature, but one side of a single signature, had to be 
used as the unit in selecting the most highly corrected 
portions of the text. The table below enables one to 
contrast the state of correction on the outer and the inner 
side of each signature, as well as to see at a glance the 
relative state of correction of each copy. The variant 
readings are printed together after the text. 



Editions of the Text 



XV 



I have treated this matter somewhat at length, because 


of the bearing it has 


on the handling 


of the text of the 


entire foho. After having reached the conclusions here 


stated, I discovered 


that McKerrow 


, in ] 


lis edition of 


The Devils Charter,'^ 


has handled the 


same 


problem sim- 


ilarly. I am indebted to him for the system 


of tabulation 


below, which is more satisfactory than the one I had 


devised. His introduction, pp. xiii- 


-xix, 


furnishes an 


excellent discussion 


of some points 


that 


I have only 


touched on. 










Most Inter- 


Least 




corrected mediate 


I correct 


Signature P (outer) 


YBHP 






(inner) 


YBHP 






P2(i) 


Y 




BHP 


Q (0) 


YBHP 






(i) 


YBHP 






Q2(0) 


YBHP 






(i) 


YBHP 






R (o) 


YBHP 






(i) 


YBH 




P 


R2(o) 


YBHP 






(i) 


Y P 




BH 


R3(o) 


H 


Y 


BP 


(i) 


YBHP 






S (o) 


YBHP 






(i) 


YB 


H 


P 


S2(0) 


YBHP 






(i) 


YBHP 






S3(o) 


YBHP 






(i) 


YBHP 






T (o) 


BHP 




Y 


(i) 


Y 




BHP 



^ Materialien zur Kunde des Alteren Englischen Dramas, Bd. 
(1904). 



xvi 


Introduction 






Most Inter - 


Least 




corrected mediate 


correct 


Signature T 2 (0) 


YBHP 




(i) 


YBHP 




T3(o) 


YBHP 




(i) 


YBHP 




V (0) 


YBHP 




(i) 


YBHP 




V2(0) 


YBHP 




(i) 


YBHP 




V3(o) 


Y H 


BP 


(i) 


YBHP 




X (0) 


YBHP 




(i) 


YBHP 




X2(o) 


YBHP 




(i) 


YBHP 




X3(o) 


YBHP 




(i) 


YBHP 




Y (0) 


YBHP 




(i) 


YBHP 




Y2(o) 


YBHP 




(i) 


P 


YBH 


Y3(o) 


YBHP 




(i) 


Y H 


BP 


Z (0) 


YBHP 




(i) 


H 


YBP 


Z2(0) 


YBHP 




(i) 


YBHP 




Z3(o) 


YBHP 




(i) 


YBHP 




The table above shows that no signature 


presents an 


inferior state of correction on both sides. I have selected 


Y as the basis of my text, because it shows a higher state 


of correction than the others. H, however, 


has only one 


more inferior sheet 


(using ' sheet ' in the sense of one side 



Editions of the Text xvii 

of a signature) than Y; B and P each twice as many. 
The inferior sheets in Y have been replaced by two found 
only in H, one found only in P, and one found in B, 
H, and P. 



III. SUBSEQUENT EDITIONS 

The edition of 1640, in which Cynthia's Revels next 
appeared, is a reprint of the folio of 1616. It varies but 
little from its original, though some effort has been made 
to bring its spelling and punctuation into conformity 
with the usage of the time. Several obvious errors hav6 
been corrected, and some new ones made. The edition 
of 1692 is a fairly faithful reproduction of that of 1640. 
Some further pains have been taken to modernize the 
punctuation, spelling, and capitalization. The next 
edition, that of 1716, printed for eleven book-dealers 
whose names appear on the title-page, is a reprint of 
the folio of 1692. The designation of the act, which in 
the earlier editions appears at the beginning of each scene, 
is omitted except at the beginning of the act, and a few 
trivial changes in spelling and punctuation have been 
introduced, which represent a still further effort at 
modernization. From a critical point of view, none of 
these editions has any value. 

The next edition, edited by Peter Whalley, was 
published in 1756. The favorable reception shortly before 
accorded to several 'new and correct' editions of the 
English poets was the inducement, Whalley tells us, 
'for publishing the works of Jonson in the same manner. '^ 
The title-page informs us that his edition was ' collated 
with all the former editions and corrected.' A detailed 
comparison of his text, however, with that of previous 



xviii Introduction 

editions, shows that he based it, not on the first foHo, 
but on the edition of 1716, since the less obvious errors in 
the latter have been regularly reproduced. By collation 
he evidently meant no more than reference to earlier 
editions in cases where the sense was not clear. Notwith- 
standing the statement in his preface that the folio of 1616 
was printed in Jonson's lifetime, and under the latter's 
own inspection,^ he exhibits a reverence for readings of 
later editions which is as irrational as it is astonishing. He 
is careful to justify five restorations of obviously correct 
folio readings, and twice, while pointing out the error in 
later editions, retains the incorrect reading. For instance, 
in 4. 4. 23, Anaides says: 'Sweare? why? S'lood, I have 
sworne afore now, I hope'; Whalley remarks: 'The ex- 
pletive, inserted in the elder folio, renders the expression 
more humorous.' He omits it, however, from his own text. 
William Gifford, Jonson's next editor, though a much 
better scholar than Whalley, is at times almost equally 
illogical. Although he believed, like Whalley, that the 
folio of 1 616 was prepared for publication by Jonson,^ 
he employed the following remarkable methods when 
preparing his own edition: 

1. He considered it justifiable to substitute a quarto 
reading, even when the folio reading was perfectly satis- 
factory; thus in 4. 2. 40 he substituted for the folio 
'carroches' the quarto 'coaches.' Notice his comment when 
making a similar change in Every Man in his Humor, 
I. I, p. 7: 'Very good, sir.'] So the quarto. The answer 
in the folio is. Well, sir. It signifies little which is taken, 
though it may be just necessary to note the variation.' 

2. Even when under the impression that Whalley had 
made a departure from a correct folio reading, he allowed 
his change to stand; for example, he retained 'render' 
for 'tender,' i. 3. 32; 'apted' for 'aped,' 5. 2. 14. 

^ 1. ii. 2 Wks. 1. xcii. 



Editions of the Text xix 

3. He made a practice of changing the oaths, thus, 
*god' to 'lord,' I. 4. Ill, 130; 'By gods so' to 'Ods so,' 
3. 2. 9; 'Gods precious' to 'Sprecious,' 3. 2. 19. 

4. On occasion, he was wilhng, without recording the 
fact, to add a brief speech: in 5. 5. 57 he introduced, 
'Within.'] Arete.' into the text, without comment. 

5. He expanded many contracted words, even at the 
expense of metre; thus, in 5. 8. 46, he changed 'm'inde- 
vours' to 'my endeavours.' 

6. Finally, and most important of all, he was satisfied 
with Whalley's text as a basis, though a detailed collation 
with the folio of 1616 would have saved him from per- 
petuating many trivial errors, some of which may be 
traced as far back as the edition of 1640. 

His addition of more complete stage-directions, and his 
division of acts on the basis of place, instead of dramatic 
situation, undoubtedly made the plays more intelligible to 
the average reader, and should not be classed with the 
practices mentioned above. His notes are a distinct 
improvement upon Whalley's, being particularly helpful 
as regards classical allusions. A reprint of this edition 
in 1875 under the supervision of Cunningham, with a 
new introduction and a few additional notes by the latter, 
forms at present the standard edition. 

The only remaining edition to be considered is that 
which was published in the Mermaid Series, 1903. 
Brinsley Nicholson, the editor, explains at length, in 
the Editor's Preface in vol. i, his method of preparing 
the text, it being derived entirely from the quarto and 
first folio versions. Though vol. 2, which contains 
Cynthia's Revels, nowhere states that Dr. Nicholson has 
discontinued his preparation of the text, it is certain, so 
far as our play is concerned, that he can have had no 
hand in it. The consistent reproduction of Gifford's 
errors and unwarranted changes shows that the latter's 

b2 



XX Introduction 

edition was the basis. Many of Gifford's notes, including 
several which are erroneous, are reproduced. The number 
of new errors which the text contains makes it, from a 
critical point of view, less valuable than any of its 
predecessors. 

The question of the value of variants from later edi- 
tions is naturally suggested by such a discussion as this. 
Generally speaking, the importance of textual variants 
depends on the incorrectness of the original text, and the 
wisdom and ability of later editors. But we have seen 
that our text shows a state of correctness very exceptional 
for the time in which it was printed. A study of the 
revision which the text of the quarto underwent proves 
that Jonson himself prepared the manuscript from which 
the folio was printed; and the variations of impressions 
in the folio convince one of the painstaking care with 
which the latter was seen through the press. As far as 
the later editors are concerned, the uniform method of 
using, not the original folio, but the edition immediately 
preceding, as a basis for the text, illustrates the unschol- 
arly principles on which all succeeding editions have been 
prepared. The editors themselves, recognizing the 
excellence of the first-folio text, have not pretended to 
make emendations in more than a very few cases. Whal- 
ley, speaking of the folio of 1616, says: 'We have an 
authentic copy for our pattern, . . . which we found of 
great use in correcting the mistakes of subsequent editions. 
In following this copy, we had little else to do, than to 
set right some errors of the press, and a corrupted 
passage or two, which seem to have been derived from 
the same source.'^ In respect to our own play, these 
corrupted passages become practically negligible when 
we eliminate the speeches of Moria, a prototype of 



Date and Reception of Cynthia's Revels xxi 

Mrs. Malaprop, whom Gifford, as well as Whalley, 
persists in taking seriously. To record, then, all variations 
of form which appear in succeeding editions, becomes 
little more than reprinting the inaccuracies and errors of 
these editions. Fumess, in justifying his exact repro- 
duction of the folio of 1632 as the text for his variorum 
edition of Shakespeare, says: 'Let the ailment, therefore, 
appear in all its severity in the text, and let the remedies 
be exhibited in the notes. '^ A reproduction of all varia- 
tions, however, in the case of our play, would exactly 
reverse the process; it would be exhibiting the ailments 
of subsequent editions in the notes, the remedy for which 
appears in the original text. Accordingly, we have 
limited our textual variants, aside from the quarto 
differences, and such of Gifford's added stage-directions 
as seemed clarifying, chiefly to readings which may con- 
ceivably be viewed in the light of emendations. These, 
however, are not above a dozen in number. 



B. Date and Reception of Cynthia's 
Revels 

From the statement in the folio edition, we learn that 
Cynthia's Revels was first acted in the year 1600. It was 
entered on the Stationers' Register May 23, 1601, and 
published in the same year. The title-page of the quarto 
gives us the additional information that the play, at 
least during its first year on the stage, must have attained 
some success, since it was 'sundry times privately acted 
in the Blackfriars by the Children of her Majesty's 
Chappel.' 2 This is all we know positively about its date 
and reception.^ Gifford, to be sure, informs us that it 
was revived after the Restoration, and performed in the 

* Othello, p. vi. 

* See note on BlacJc-Friars, p. 159. ^ See post, p. xxxii. 



xxii Introduction 

New Theatre in Drury Lane, citing Downes as his author- 
ity, a statement which has regularly been copied into 
subsequent editions. Gifford certainly alludes to the 
list of plays given by Downes in Roschts Anglicanus, 
p. 8, but Cynthia's Revels is not among them. Genest 
pointed out Gifford's error eighty years ago,^ but seems 
never to have been heeded. It is inconceivable that this 
play, depending for success, as it must have done, 
chiefly on the satire of absurd manners then prevalent, 
would have been tolerated by a Restoration audience. 
That it remained popular for some years after its first 
presentation may possibly be argued from the additions, 
nearly a thousand lines, which appear in the folio of 1616. 
It is interesting to speculate whether Elizabeth ever 
saw Cynthia's Revels acted, a play evidently designed 
to shed lustre on her name, and incidentally thereby to 
bring preferment to the author. The absence of any 
reference to it in the Revels Accounts^ argues against a 
presentation at court. It has also been suggested that, 
had it been given at court, a suitable epilogue would 
have been written and published, at least in the care- 
fully edited 1616 edition.^ Even supposing, however, 
that it was never played at court, Elizabeth might have 
seen it at Blackfriars; we have definite proof that she 
saw at least one play there,* and there is no reason to 
suppose that she did not see others. Yet the fact that 
preferment seems not to have come to Jonson as a result 
of this effort leads one to believe that the play was never 
given before the Queen. The Quod non dant Proceres, 
dabit Histrio of the quarto title-page, which was not 
repeated in the folio, appears like an expression of 
Jonson's disappointment. 

1 English Stage 8. 567. 

2 Fleay, Hist, of the Stage, p. 122. ^ Small, Stage-Quarrel, p. 24. 
* Manly, Cambridge Hist, of Eng. Lit. 6. 328. 



Cynthia and the Allegory xxiii 

C. Cynthia and the Allegory 

The lack of harmony and the imperfect fusion of ele- 
ments which characterize Cynthia's Revels must be attrib- 
uted, at least in part, to Jonson's obvious effort to 
attain too many ends in a single drama. Conventional 
satire of courtly affectation was apparently his main 
purpose; with this he combined an occasional thrust at 
a personal enemy. Elizabeth is flattered, defended 
against the murmurs of dissatisfied courtiers and citizens, 
and justified for recent drastic action taken against a 
popular favorite. Finally, Jonson, unforgetful of himself, 
asks in undisguised language for preferment at court. 
It is our purpose in this section to examine those elements 
only which are related to Cynthia (Elizabeth). 

In the masques of Act 5, Jonson has incorporated his 
most ardent flattery, which, since it is mainly conven- 
tional, need not detain us long. Elizabeth's greatness, 
goodness, courage, chastity, and divinity are all solemnly 
proclaimed by certain knights and ladies from the court 
of Queen Perfection. These ideal courtiers, by the way, 
are none other than the vicious gallants themselves, 
properly disguised, and furnished each with the 'neigh- 
boring virtue,' as Jonson terms it. Philautia (self-love), 
for example, appears in the masque as Storge, thereby 
signifying that love, if rendered unselfish, and directed 
toward noble ends, may become an exalted and worthy 
passion. 

The masques, with their abundant flattery, must have 
appealed to Elizabeth much less than a passage occurring 
in Act 5, scene 6. Here a note of real sincerity is evident, 
and the allusions are clearly to actual circumstances. 
In this scene Cynthia, appropriately introduced by the 
beautiful hymn beginning 'Queen and Huntress,' makes 
her first appearance, and at once addresses the assembled 



xxiv Introduction 

revelers. Her favors, she asserts, have been granted 
with great prodigahty, yet men have received them, not 
as generous gifts of heaven, but as due. Besides this, they 
have accused her of pride and austerity, on account of 
her refusal to yield to Cupid's sway, forgetting, apparently, 
that her chastity is her greatest glory. These remarks of 
Cynthia are commended by Arete, one of her attendant 
ladies : 

How Cynthian-ly (that is, how worthily 

And hke herselfe) the matchlesse Cynthia speakes! 

Infinite iealousies, infinite regards, 

Doe watch about the true virginitie. 

In the remarks of Cynthia and Arete we have most cer- 
tainly a reference to the situation at court, and in the 
realm at large, which characterized Elizabeth's declining 
years. The wheels of government were moving less 
smoothly than they had a few years earlier. The trading 
classes were becoming impatient at restrictions which the 
government was laying upon them; taxes were felt by 
the city merchants as a constantly growing burden; 
representatives of these classes, who brought their griev- 
ances to Parliament, were silenced only by imprisonment. 
At court it was not much better. The old circle of Eliza- 
beth's advisers was continually opposed by young and 
rash men; most of them were seeking political advance- 
ment; not a few attempted to secure it by professing a 
lover-like attachment to the Queen, who, oddly enough, 
valued such attentions more highly the older she grew, 
and systematically encouraged all who were willing thus 
to flatter her vanity.^ The hoped-for advancement at 
court, however, did not come, nor did betterment of 
financial conditions. Thus city and court alike were 
filled with a 'mutinous kind of wanting men,' a race 

1 Cambridge Mod. Hist. 3. 329. 



Cynthia and the Allegory xxv 

Which still complains, not knowing why, or when, ^ 

as Jonson calls them. Either an honest indignation at 
their often plainly expressed dissatisfaction, or the 
feeling that a denunciation of them might help his own 
cause, must have prompted the passage under discussion. 
Jonson, having adopted these indirect methods to 
gain Elizabeth's favor, did not stop there. He requested 
it in the simplest and plainest language, adding thereto 
such extreme praise of himself that we cannot but marvel 
at his impudence. The lines which he devotes to his 
own personal cause are 5, 6. 81— iii and 5. 8. 14—47; 
into Arete's mouth he puts perhaps the clearest expression 
of his plea: 

Thy favours gaine is his ambitions most, 
And labours best; who (humble in his height) 
Stands fixed silent in thy glorious sight. 

The passage where Jonson rebukes the discontented 
of Cynthia's realm is much less severe in tone than 
several other passages — those which contain allusions to 
Actseon and Niobe, and to certain unnamed detractors of 
the Queen. In the latter a very stern tone is adopted, and 
the slanderers are menaced in the most vehement fashion. 
The identity of the persons denoted by Actaeon and 
Niobe has received surprisingly little attention. Ward 
was, as far as I know, the first to attempt their identi- 
fication. He thought they represented respectively 
Essex and Arabella Stuart. ^ Fleay's history of the 
drama appeared some years later, with a different identi- 
fication for Actaeon. 'Diana's justice on Acteon,' he tells 
us, 'alludes to Nash's punishment for his Isle of Dogs: 

1 5. 6. 46. 

2 Heinrich Hoffschulte (tJber Ben Jonsons Altere Lustspiele, 
Miinster, 1894, p 16), possibly following Ward, makes the same 
identifications of Actseon and Niobe. 



xxvi Introduction 

"As Acteon was worried of his own hounds, so is Tom 
Nash of his Isle of Dogs" (Meres, 1598.) '^ A careful 
examination of the passages which relate to Actaeon, 
however, convinces one that the allusion is to some far 
more serious event than the temporary imprisonment of 
Nashe. Notice the following, which are the only passages 
referring specifically to Actaeon (i. i. 92—5) : 

Diana (in regard of some black and envious slanders 
hourely breath'd against her, for her divine iustice on Ac- 
teon, as shee pretends [alleges]) hath here in the vale of Gar- 
gaphy, proclaim'd a solemne revells. 

I. 2. 82—3: 

Here yong Acteon fell, pursu'de, and torne 

By Cynthia's wrath (more eager, then his hounds). 

Again Elizabeth, having admitted that she is perhaps 
austere to the ' proud or the prophane,' adds (5. 11. 14— 5) : 

For so Actaeon, by presuming farre, 

Did (to our grief e) incurre a fatall doome. 

Ward is surely right in supposing that these passages 
allude to Essex, but wrong in assuming that they were 
written some months before the latter's execution. A 
careful examination of the concluding events in the 
career of Essex throws much light on the question. But 
before further investigation of Essex' identity, let us 
notice Ward's identification of Niobe as Arabella Stuart. 
The following passages are those containing references 
to Niobe (i. 2. 84-7) : 

And here, (ay me, the place is fatall) see 

The weeping Niobe, translated hither 

From Phrygian mountaines: and by Phcebe rear'd 

As the proud trophsee of her sharpe revenge. 

^ Chron. of the Eng. Drama 1. 363. The quotation is from Palladis 
Tamia {Wits' Academy, 1636, pp. 633-4). 



Cynthia and the Allegory xxvii 

5. II. 16-7: 

And so, swolne Niobe (comparing more 

Then he [Actseon] presum'd) was trophseed into stone. 

This would be strange language to apply to the young 
princess Arabella, who at this time was peacefully 
residing at her grandmother's country-seat in Derby- 
shire, and was on good enough terms with the Queen to 
send her a New- Year's gift, January, 1600.^ To be sure, 
the Queen viewed the young princess with jealousy and 
suspicion, but it was not till many months after the 
completion and presentation of Cynthia's Revels that 
Arabella was imprisoned as a result of the offer of her 
hand to Lord Beauchamp.^ The allusion is doubtless to 
Mary Stuart, who was executed thirteen years before. 
There is no implication that the trophying of Niobe into 
stone was a recent event; indeed, the manner of its 
mention in connection with Actaeon suggests its intro- 
duction as an example of a well recognized case of 
C5nithia's justice, which might support that which she 
had recently^ meted out to Actason.* 

Returning to our attempt to identify Actaeon with 
Essex, it may be well briefly to recount the events which 
led to the latter's execution. In April, 1599, he was sent 
to Ireland, to quell the rebellion then spreading there. 
In August he met the rebels, but, instead of fighting 
them, he made terms unfavorable to England with their 
leader, Tyrone. Learning of Elizabeth's displeasure at 
his weak action, he hastened to England, and, dramatic- 
ally forcing himself into her presence, sought her 

1 Strickland, Tudor Princesses (1868), pp. 348-9. 

2 Ibid., p. 352. 

^ The ' slanders hourely breath'd ' in the first quotation concern- 
ing Actseon shows that the event had but just taken place. 

* Small {Stage-Quarrel, p. 24, note) makes the simple statement 
that Niobe was probably Mary Stuart. 



xxviii Introduction 

forgiveness. This he temporarily gained, but on October i 
was committed to prison. On Christmas Day the Lon- 
don populace offered prayers in the churches for their 
favorite. On June 5, 1600, he was suspended from his 
offices, but was released toward the end of August. On 
account of seditious activity, he was again imprisoned 
in February, 160^, and on the 25th of February was 
beheaded on Tower Hill. His courage and engaging 
personality had won him a multitude of friends among 
nobles and citizens alike. It is related that his executioner 
nearly lost his life at the hands of the enraged mob. 
The words 'pursued, and torn by Cynthia's wrath,' 
'fatal doom,' and 'envious slanders hourly breathed 
against her, for her divine justice on Actaeon,' together 
with the long speech in Act 5 (11. 9—42) in which her 
censurers and detractors are threatened with severe 
punishment if they persist in their 'calumnious and 
lewd blasphemies,' read in the light of the events which 
we have just narrated, make it perfectly clear that 
Actaeon represents Essex, and that his execution had 
already taken place before the passages which we have 
discussed were written. History records no other event 
of this time to which such language could be applied. 
But Essex was beheaded on the 25th of February, 
160^, and Cynthia's Revels, as we learn from the folio, 
was acted in the year 1600, i. e., by March 25, i6o^- 
Is it possible, then, that Jonson, who usually spent a 
year in writing a play,^ could have composed this one 
in a month? Certainly not. There are, however, two 
ways of explaining the difficulty. Either the play was 
nearing completion at the time of Essex' death, or it 
had already been completed before that event took 
place; in the former case, we must suppose that only the 

1 Poetaster, Apologetical Dialogue, p. 519. 



Cynthia and the Allegory xxix 

earlier allusions to Actaeon are interpolations; in the 
latter, that all allusions to Actaeon are such. The passages 
which concern Actaeon are very few in number. Aside 
from the mere designation of Gargaphie as the scene 
of the action after the list of the Dramatis Personam, and 
once in the Induction, there are but three such passages : 
two of them, which together amount to but twenty-four 
lines, occur in Act i (i. 91—104; 2. 82—95) ; and the third, 
thirty-five lines in length, is found in the last scene of 
the play (11. 9—45). Excepting these passages, there is 
no remote suggestion of Actaeon or the slanders breathed 
out against Cynthia. Since it is obvious that so few and 
such brief passages could have been easily introduced 
at a later time, it is necessary now to determine whether 
they actually show any indications of being interpolations. 
There is evidence which points to the fact that at least 
one of the passages in Act i is a later addition. In 
1. 1. 91—104, it is asserted that Diana has a twofold pur- 
pose m attending the revels: first, to tread beneath her 
feet the malicious imputations in regard to her treatment 
of Actaeon, and, secondly, to show that she is free from 
austerity. Yet when she first appears at the revels, though 
she has much to say in regard to the latter motive, the 
former is not even mentioned. This clearly supports 
the theory that the passage in which the first of the 
two motives is stated had not been written at the time 
Cynthia's speech was composed. Small, perceiving that 
the passages concerning Actaeon must have been written 
after Essex' death, adopted the first of the two hypo- 
theses mentioned above — in all probability the second did 
not occur to him — and dated the play February or March, 

160^.1 

I 

A careful study of the Actaeon-passage in Act 5 has 
^ Stage-Quarrel, p. 24. 



XXX Introduction 

convinced me that the first hypothesis is not tenable. This 
passage is part of a long address which Elizabeth makes 
to the still unmasked courtiers. A careful examination 
of it shows that it forms no organic part of the scene in 
which it occurs; indeed, it even bears the earmarks of 
an interpolation, for its omission makes perfect a con- 
tinuity of thought which at present is lacking. This 
becomes apparent when the lines which precede and 
follow it are read as one continuous passage (i— 8, 
46 ff.): 

Ladies, and gallants of our court, to end. 

And give a timely period to our sports, 

Let us conclude them with, declining night; 

Our empire is but of the darker halfe. 

And if you iudge it any recompence 

For your faire paines, t' have earn'd Dianas thankes, 

Diana grants them: and bestowes their crowne 

To gratifie your acceptable zeale. . . . 

And that we not mis-take your severall worths. 

Nor you our favour, from your selves remoove 

What makes you not your selves, those cloudes of masque. 

The thirty-five lines (9—43) which Cynthia devotes to 
the Actaeon-episode break the thread of her speech, and 
make necessary the following two lines (44—45), which call 
the reader's attention back to what had preceded in 1—8: 

Once more, we cast the slumber of our thankes 
On your ta'ne toile, which here let take an end. 

One might expect a man of Jonson's literary ability to 
recast a scene into which he wished to introduce so con- 
siderable and irrelevant an addition. His procedure here, 
however, seems to have been precisely what it was when 
he made the folio additions to our play. In almost every 
case the new material has been joined with scarcely the 
elimination of a word from the text of the quarto, a fact 
which is shown by the foot-notes to our text ; apparently 



Cynthia and the Allegory xxxi 

Jonson had an almost superstitious aversion to destroying 
anything which he had once written and approved. If 
we are right in considering these hnes an interpolation, 
then it is obvious that the play must have been completed 
before Essex' death, for the passage occurs in its last 
scene. 

There is really no ground for supposing that Jonson 
would not have made these additions to his play, even 
several months after its completion, provided he had 
wished to. The thousand new lines appearing in Cynthia's 
Revels upon its republication in folio form show that he 
had no objection to making later additions to his work. 
Indeed, far from being unnatural, the procedure becomes 
an exceedingly natural one when we consider that Jonson 
entertained no theory more warmly than that rulers are 
above the censure of their subjects. Notice the following 
expressions of this thought found elsewhere in his work: 

The vulgar are commonly ill-natured, and always grudging 
against their governors. . . . There was not that variety of 
beasts in the ark, as is of beastly natures in the multitude; 
especially when they come to that iniquity to censure their 
sovereign's actions. — Explorata, Wks. 9. 166. 

Let no man therefore murmur at the actions of the prince, 
who is placed so far above him. If he offend, he hath his 
discoverer. God hath a height beyond him. — Explorata, 
Wks. 9. 174. 

They that censure those 
They ought to reverence, meet they that old curse. 
To beg their bread, and feel eternal winter! 
There's difference 'twixt liberty and licence. 

— Time Vindicated, Wks. 8. 11. 

Since Jonson held this settled theory, what is more 
natural than that he should hasten to Elizabeth's defense, 
and, even after the completion of his play, seek to 
embody in it a severe reprimand for those who were 
murmuring at Essex' death? The fact that Cynthia's 



xxxii Introduction 

Revels was designed already in part as a justification of 
the Queen to her discontented citizens makes the added 
apology particularly fitting. 

If the passages concerning Actaeon were added after 
the completion of the play, they cannot, of course, aid 
us in determining its date. Accordingly, we must rest 
content with Jonson's own statement that ' this Comicall 
Satyre was first acted in the yeere 1600'^; though if 
Every Man out of his Humor was finished in February or 
March, ^, as seems likely,^ Cynthia's Revels was 
probably completed late in 1600. 



D. The Satire 

I. SATIRE OF MANNERS 
I. Analysis 

Before Jonson's time the word Satire had not been 
applied to the drama. By his use of the term when he 
entered Every Man out of his Humor in the Stationers' 
Register, he shows that he had even then consciously 
allied himself with the formal satirists, wtiose work was 
rapidly coming into vogue. Though employing in large 
degree their tone, he parted from them in selecting the 
drama, probably because of its greater elasticity, as the 
vehicle for his invective. His method in Cynthia's 
Revels is really an accentuation of the caricature which 
he used in Every Man out of his Humor, typical characters 
only, representatives of various vices and follies, being 
brought upon the stage. They are all members of the 
general class of gallants, and include four pretty distinct 
types: the arrogant man of fashion; the traveler; the 

^ See ante, p. xxi. ^ Stage-Quarrel, p. 22. 



The Satire xxxiii 

wealthy young fool from the country, who is initiated 
into the mysteries of court-life by the latter; and the 
ridiculous lady of court. Jonson has endeavored still 
further to individualize the members of these classes 
by emphasizing some one vicious or objectionable trait 
in each personage. Accordingly, he has given us the 
impudent, the pleasure-loving, the foolish gallant, etc. 
In this he has not been very successful. Even the fact 
that the characters bear names intended to suggest their 
qualities does not enable the average reader to keep 
them clearly differentiated. They are all more or less 
pleasure-loving, foolish, and fantastical, and at the 
conclusion of the drama still seem mere shadows in 
comparison with the characters of Jonson's other plays, 
where the dramatis personcB are not elaborately named 
after their humors. Besides these types of society upon 
whom particular ridicule is visited, the larger body to 
which they belong receives its due measure of scorn, and 
occasionally, in the Induction and elsewhere, persons 
other than courtiers are made to feel the sting of Jonson's 
pen : authors of plays who make a nuisance of themselves 
in the tiring-house; poets who are 'promoters of other 
men's jests'; and playwrights who use every strange 
word they have got acquainted with, 'though it loosen 
the whole fabric of their sense.' 

In Every Man out of his Humor, Jonson gives his idea 
of a good play, 'a thing throughout pleasant and ridiculous, 
and accommodated to the correction of manners.'^ With 
such a cast of characters as we have just described, it 
would be strange if our play did not exhibit a great 
variety of manners wanting correction ; none of the activ- 
ity of the dramatis personce is directed toward the further- 
ing of a plot — for there is no plot worth mentioning; 

1 3. 1, p. 109. 



xxxiv Introduction 

indeed, their whole duty consists in acting as they are in 
the habit of acting day by day. The traveler makes his 
vainglorious boasts and misquotes foreign phrases; the 
idle gallant quarrels with his comrades, discusses the 
latest fashion in hatbands and garters, and seeks to 
devise the best method of prevailing on his fantastic 
mistress; the ladies of the court discuss the gallants' 
physical and mental charms in a manner character- 
istic no doubt of Elizabethan times, but certainly 
not peculiar to them. There is hardly a page which 
does not illustrate in laughable manner the minted 
compliment and grotesque language of the courtiers; 
they quote play-ends, talk to each other in the style of 
Tamhurlaine and the Spanish Tragedy, and devise strange 
oaths with which to protest their eternal devotion to 
their mistresses. They are shown to us in the presence- 
chamber at their pastimes, which consist in witty and 
hollow repartee, music, and idiotic games. The latter 
reach their culmination in an elaborate duel in courtship ; 
a lady serves as the ' courting-stock ' of two gallants, who 
lavish upon her a perfect torrent of inane compliment. 
'Meere lunacy,' is Crites' verdict, who adds: 'Would 
any reasonable creature make these his serious studies, 
and perfections ? Much lesse, onely live to these ends ? 
to be the false pleasure of a few, the true love of none, 
and the iust laughter of all?'^ 

Other practices which come in for special censure are: 
the arrogant treatment of scholars by men of fashion; 
the insolent conduct of gallants in the theatres, as sitting 
on the stage and taking tobacco while the play is going 
on; and the frequenting of expensive ordinaries, or 
eating-houses, which serve as schools for the acquire- 
ment of dandyism. It is to one of these that the country 

1 5. 4. 178-82. 



The Satire xxxv 

fool, Asotus, is recommended by his friendly adviser, 
Amorphus: 'You are not audacious inough, you must 
frequent ordinaries, a moneth or more, to initiate your 
selfe.' On no practice is more vigorous satire visited 
than upon dueling according to the elaborate codes 
lately introduced from Italy — 'quarreling by the book,' 
as Shakespeare has it. This is ridiculed through the 
courting contest, which is conducted somewhat like a 
fencing-match. 

An attempt to include in this summary all the objects 
of satire would make it too long; enough has been said 
to show that the main fire was directed against the 
particular sorts of affectation, folly, and vice which charac- 
terized the city and court coxcomb, and rendered him, 
notwithstanding his wealth, fine clothes, and titles, 
deserving, in Jonson's eyes, only of the most sovereign 
contempt and scorn. 

2. Satire an Expression of the Age 

In order to appreciate fully the significance of Jonson's 
satire, it is necessary to get a general view of the con- 
dition of satire in England at this time, and in the 
preceding years. We are not wont to think of the age 
of Elizabeth as an age of satire. Its buoyant, romantic 
spirit has little in common with the sophistication and 
cynicism which are most likely to nourish satire. Never- 
theless, it counted among its writers not a few men who 
adopted the satiric tone; and though it is doubtless true 
that the work of the Roman satirists first mterested 
them in this literary type, and was furthermore in greater 
or less degree imitated by them, it is equally certain 
that their attacks on abuses of the time and on their 
personal enemies were often written with a fervor and 
spirit which mere imitations never possess. 

c2 



xxxvi Introduction 

Sir Thomas Wyatt owes his reputation of being the 
first Enghsh satirist to three poems, first pubhshed in 
Tottel's Miscellany, 1557. They are chiefly devoted to 
a castigation of covetousness, ambition, flattery, and 
similar faults, but were not termed satires by their 
author. The first man to employ the name satire, or 
satyr e, as it was generally spelled, was Edward Hake; 
his Newes out of Powles Churchyarde probably appeared 
in 1567, though the earliest extant edition bears a date 
twelve years later. In his work we see only the mild 
flicker of the satire which was to blaze a score of years 
later. A Puritan in sentiment, he confines his censure 
for the most part to the middle or lower classes. To later 
satirists the time in which he wrote must have seemed 
a period of honesty and simplicity, but we find him 
terming it a 'sottish sinful brittle age,'^ with a pessimism 
proper to the satiric passion, and very like that in which 
his successors indulged. Several lines in his fourth satire 
make it plain that the garish fashions which so aroused 
Jonson's ire had already gained some foothold: 

And Varlets vaunt about the streate, 

lyke men of high estate: 
Their Hosen strowting forth with silcke, 

and plumes upon their pate. 

In 1575 George Gascoigne's Steele Glas was published, 
a poem possibly too mild and reflective for the true 
satiric vein, yet possessing at times decidedly the flavor 
of the later satire. For our purpose the Epilogue is of 
great significance, since it contains the first sustained 
ridicule of the courtiers, and in very much the style 
Vv^hich Jonson employed in Cynthia's Revels. The Epi- 
logue is in the form of an address to Lord Gray, to whom 
the Steele Glas was dedicated. The author declares that 

1 Sat. 5. 



The Satire xxxvii 

he has shut his glass too soon, but will relate some of 
the other sights which it has shown him: 

And at a glimse, my seely selfe have spied, 

A stranger trowpe, than any yet were sene: 

Beholde (my lorde) what monsters muster here, 

With Angels face, and harmefuU heUsh harts. . . . 

Behold, behold, they never stande content, 

With God, with kinde, with any helpe of Arte, 

But curie their locks, with bodkins and with braids. 

But dye their heare, with sundry subtill sleights, 

But paint and fhcke, til fayrest face be foule. 

But bumbast, bolster, frisle, and perfume: 

They marre with muske, the balme which nature made. 

And dig for death, in deUicatest dishes. 

This sounds strangely like the account of the courtiers 
which Crites gives Arete (3. 4. 3 ff.) : 

I have seene (most honour'd Arete,) 
The strangest pageant, fashion'd hke a court, 
(At least I dream't I saw it) so diffus'd. 
So painted, pyed, and full of rainbow straines, etc. 

After a little further description, Gascoigne concludes 
with the remark that all the paper, ink, and pens which 
this wretched world ever produced, could not do these 
strange objects justice, and the glass had best be closed 
before they have gazed too long. Judging from his poem, 
particularly the Epilogue, the affectations of the courtiers 
were already at high tide. In his style and subject- 
matter, as well as in the blank verse which he used, he 
furnished a model of great importance to his successors. 
The next writer of formal satire was John Donne, 
a man to whom Jonson must have owed much. There 
is no doubt that Jonson esteemed him highly, and 
admired his satires. In his Conversations with Drummond 
he expressed the opinion that Donne was 'the first poet 
in the world in some things,' adding that he had 'written 



xxxviii Introduction 

all his best pieces ere he was 25 years old.'^ We have 
no means of dating the satires exactly, but most of them 
were probably written before Donne's twenty-fifth year. 
Jonson's Epigrams contain further allusion to Donne, 
with specific mention of the satires. Epigram g4, bearing 
the title To Lucy, Countess of Bedford, with Master Donne's 
Satites,^ shows unmistakably the high place Jonson 
accorded to Donne's satirical work. It may have been 
the latter which first interested him in a similar literary 
purpose. The satires are seven in number. Satire i 
describes a young fop who went walking with the author, 
but could devote no attention to his companion, because 
his eyes greedily devoured every passer-by who had 
costly raiment on his back. We are reminded of Anaides 
in Cynthia's Revels, whose 'fashion is not to take know- 
ledge of him that is beneath him in clothes.'^ In Satire 4, 
the approach of an extraordinary individual is described : 

Stranger than seven antiquaries' studies . . . 

The thing hath travell'd, and, faith, speakes all tongues. 

He attaches himself to the author, who finally escapes 
by lending him a crown; his departure furnishes an 
opportunity to muse on the vices and follies of the court. 
The view of the court is approximately Jonson's, the 
language becoming at times very candid, as when it 
is said that there be 'few better pictures of vice than 
princes' courts.' In the other satires, poetasters, swear- 
ers, and liars are ridiculed, and various excesses held 
up to scorn. 

In 1595 Lodge published his Fig for Momus. The 
reflective tone, and the general, rather than the specific, 
nature of his attack, lead one to believe that Jonson 
could have gained little inspiration and few suggestions 
from it. The courtiers as a class are not censured, 

1 Wks. 9. 373-4. 2 jn^^ g. 197. 3 2. 2. 87. 



The Satire xxxix 

though the vices to which they were prone are naturally 
the frequent target of ridicule. A body of satires of 
a much more virile and pungent nature are those of 
Joseph Hall, Virgidemiarum, including three books of 
'Tooth-lesse Satyrs,' published in 1597, and three of 
'By ting Satyres,' published a year later. Jonson and Hall 
have one striking characteristic in common: both profess 
to be moved by a definite moral aim, whose end is the 
eradication of vice. Jonson desires to strip 'the ragged 
follies of the time naked as at their birth, '^ yet he stoutly 
affirms that his pen 

Did never aim to grieve, but better men.^ 

Notice the lines with which Hall begins Book 5, Satire 3: 

The satire should be Hke the porcupine, 
That shoots sharp quills out in each angry line. 
And wounds the blushing cheek and fiery eye. 
Of him that hears, and readeth guiltily. 

Other lines reiterate this thought. His preface, preceding 
the satires, furnishes further support for this view in 
the reasons given for writing smoothly and clearly, 
instead of in the obscure and rough style alleged to be 
proper for satires: 'Thirdly, the end of this pains was 
a Satire, but the end of my. Satire a further good, which 
whether I attain or no I know not; but let me be plain 
with the hope of profit, rather than purposely obscure 
only for a bare name's sake.' In the last of his Toothless 
Satires, Hall paints the portrait of a gallant very like 
the Jonsonese courtier — young Ruffio, with not a crown 
in his pocket, but bearing on his back a wealth of finery 
collected from various foreign lands. The contrast 
between his rich exterior and starved interior is made 
much of, the conclusion being that he must feed others' 

^ Every Man Out, Prologue, p. 12. ^ Alchem., Prologue, p. 10. 



xl Introduction 

eyes, while others feed themselves. Book 4, Satire 4, 
whose motto is Plus beau que fort, gives us other similar 
types of effeminate gallants, who smell like civet-cats, 
and whose locks, smoothly platted, fall, 

Shining like varnished pictures on a wall. 

Throughout Hall's satires, fantastic clothing, wigs, 
tobacco, false teeth, and similar innovations, receive 
more or less attention. 

In the same year in which Hall's second volume 
appeared, two editions of satires were published by 
Marston, The Metamorphosis of Pigmalions Image and 
Certain Satyres and The Scourge of Villanie. Their 
obscurity — he himself called them 'rough-hew'd rhymes' 
— and bitterness place them in startling contrast with 
Hall's. Satire 7 of The Scourge of Villanie is called A 
Cynicke Satyre: 'A man, a man, a kingdome for a man,' 
cries the Cynic, but of the many who are shown to him, 
none impresses him as worthy of that name: 

These are no men, but apparitions, 
Ignes fatui, glowewormes, fictions, 
Meteors, rats of Nilus, fantasies, 
Collosses, pictures, shades, resemblances. 

Marston's satire is merciless and abusive in the extreme, 
and lacks the humor of Hall, nor is one ever certain that 
a genuine desire to improve the manners he censures 
lies at the bottom of his work. In his comedy. What You 
Will, published in 160.7, ^ good deal of the same crabbed 
style of satire was introduced. 

The year 1598, notable for its large body of satire, 
includes, besides those already mentioned, Edward 
Guilpin's Skialetheia ; he falls into the style fast becoming 
conventional, rails at the false beauty of women, the 
follies of the gallants of Paul's, and the general baseness 
of the time. The year 1599 produced another collection 



The Satire xli 

of satires, Micro-Cynicon, by T. M. Gent., generally 
attributed to Thomas Middleton. It is notable neither 
for wit nor power. Satire 3, Insolent Superbia, treats 
society ladies somewhat in Jonson's style. Rowland's 
epigrams and satires are much nearer Jonson's manner; 
since, however, they did not appear till 1600, they need 
not be included in this survey of the satire preceding 
Cynthia's Revels. 

This brief examination has certainly made clear the 
conventional character of much of Jonson's satire. 
Even the fantastic apparel worn by the courtiers was 
described in similar fashion twenty years before, ' Span- 
ish spangs,' 'ruffes fet out of France,' 'high copt hattes,' 
and 'f ethers flaunt a flaunt,' being mentioned in the 
Epilogue to the Steele Glas. But this conventional 
aspect of the satire in Cynthia's Revels does not necessitate 
any implication of insincerity. Jonson, as has often 
been remarked, was a Puritan at heart ; he had the stern, 
simple nature as well as the ruggedness of a Cromwell. 
Vanity and affectation were really hateful to him, and 
not the less so because they had been censured for years. 
His temperament, as described by Drummond, who says 
he both loved and hated passionately,^ fitted him admir- 
ably to carry on the fight, and deal the hardest blows 
yet given. He reverenced the poetic spirit within himself, 
felt that it needed 'no false light either of riches, or 
honors to help it,' yet found himself utterly unable to 
secure recognition at court. Courtiers and men of 
fashion hated and despised him because he v/as a poor 
scholar in black. Certainly, then, any retaliation upon 
such enemies should not be taxed with insincerity. 
Sometimes, to be sure, the objects of his satire, and of 
all the satire we have been reviewing, seem absurdly 

^ Conversations, Whs. 9. 416. 



xlii Introduction 

trivial: the wearing of a feather in the hat or a French 
ruff strikes one at worst as innocent foppery, not the 
vices which a real reformer would choose to castigate. 
Perhaps an explanation lies in the habit of intimately 
associating the fantastic dress and manners of the court- 
iers with their profligate lives, so that a blow at one of 
their apparently harmless practices was deemed a blow 
at the whole life of which they were exponents. Finally, 
we should not forget that Jonson, though adopting the 
tone and aim already in vogue, was highly original in 
casting his satire into the dramatic mould, and in his 
sustained application of it in so long a drama as Cynthia's 
Revels. 

In that wonderful note-book of Jonson's which he 
called 'discoveries made upon men and matter,' there 
occurs a section of unusual interest from its relation to 
Cynthia's Revels. Certain ideas practically identical in 
thought and language with the Address to the Court, 
prefixed to our play in the 1616 edition, show beyond 
question Jonson's consciousness of its application to 
Cynthia's Revels. It expresses in noble language the 
grounds for his disdain of the courtiers' life, and really 
furnishes his own sober reasons for writing such a satire 
as this. Its importance warrants our reproduction of it 
in full. 

De mollibus et effoeminatis.—TLhere is nothing valiant or solid 
to be hoped for from such as are always kempt and perfumed, 
and every day smell of the tailor; the exceedingly curious, that 
are wholly in mending such an imperfection in the face, in taking 
away the morphew in the neck, or bleaching their hands at 
midnight, gumming and bridling their beards, or making the waist 
small, binding it with hoops, while the mind runs at waste: 
too much pickedness is not manly. Not from those that will 
jest at their own outward imperfections, but hide their ulcers 
within, their pride, lust, envy, ill-nature, with all the art and 
authority they can. These persons are in danger; for whilst 
they think to justify their ignorance by impudence, and their 



The Satire xliii 

persons by clothes and outward ornaments, they use but a 
commission to deceive themselves: where, if we will look with 
our understanding, and not our senses, we may behold virtue 
and beauty (though covered with rags) in their brightness; and 
vice and deformity so much the fouler, in having all the splendour 
of riches to gild them, or the false light of honour and power 
to help them. Yet this is that wherewith the world is taken, 
and runs mad to gaze on: clothes and titles, the birdlime of fools.*^ 

During the years that followed the appearance of 
Cynthia's Revels, Jonson tried his pen at tragedy, but 
was glad to return again to satire, for which his tempera- 
ment and training best suited him. In The Alchemist 
his satiric power reached its height, though Volpone is 
not much inferior. Many other poets wrote satire of 
various sorts. Even before 1600 such epigrammatists as 
Harington, Bastard, Weever, and Sir John Davies, had 
turned out volumes of verse. The gentle Shakespeare has 
here and there a touch of satire, such as Jaques' speech 
in As You Like It^ beginning, 'All the world's a stage,' 
or Hotspur's famous speech in i Henry IV.^ Most 
interesting of all, in view of the special study we are 
making of the satire of courtiers, is Shakespeare's sketch 
of a gallant in Love's Labor's Lost:* 

This fellow pecks up wit as pigeons pease. 
And utters it again when God doth please: 
He is wit's pedler, and retails his wares 
At wakes and wassails, meetings, markets, fairs; 
And we that sell by gross, the Lord doth know. 
Have not the grace to grace it with such show. 
This gallant pins the wenches on his sleeve; 
Had he been Adam, he had tempted Eve; 
A' can carve too, and lisp: why, this is he 
That kiss'd his hand away in courtesy; 
This is the ape of form, monsieur the nice. 
That, when he plays at tables, chides the dice 
In honourable terms. 

1 Explorata, Wks. 9. 181-2. 2 2. 7. 139-66. ^ 1. 3. 29-69. 

* 5. 2. 315-34. 



xliv Introduction 

II. SATIRE OF PERSONS: THE STAGE- QUARREL 

Cynthia's Revels, as one of the plays related to the so- 
called 'war of the theatres,' makes a brief examination 
of this famous stage-quarrel necessary. Few literary 
problems call for more patient investigation, and few 
have been probed with more diverse results. Two men 
have made it a subject of particular study. In 1897 
J. H. Penniman's War of the Theatres appeared, a work 
which in many respects agrees with ideas suggested by 
Fleay in his Chronicle of the English Drama (1891) ; and 
two years later, Small's Stage-Quarrel between Ben Jonson 
and the So-called Poetasters, presenting widely different 
views, was published. The latter, though independent 
and fearless, is conservative, and has, in the opinion of 
most, superseded previous discussions of the subject.^ 
Nevertheless, there still remain problems which call 
for further investigation. 

It is far from certain how the quarrel started. Jonson 
told Drummond that it began by Marston's representing 
him on the stage^; and in the Apologetical Dialogue to 
Poetaster, 1601, he makes the further statement that he 
had been provoked on the public stage by his enemies 
for three years. These two pieces of evidence have caused 
the critics to search for a play written by Marston about 
1598, and containing an uncomplimentary representation 
of Jonson. The search has been in vain. The play 

^ Mallory, ed. of Poetaster {Yale Studies in Eng.), 1905; Scherer, 
ed. of Satiro-Mastix {Materialien zur Kunde des Alteren Englischen 
Dramas, Band 20), 1907; and Thorndike, Cambridge Hist. 0/ Eng. 
Lit. 6. 4, note 2 (1910), all favor Small's discussion. Schelling, 
Elizabethan Drama I. 476-91 (1908), prefers Penniman's treatment. 

2 Conversations, Wks. 9. 391. Both Penniman and Small make 
an obviously correct emendation of the text, according to which 
'in his youth given to venerie' becomes an independent phrase, or is 
joined to the sentence which follows {War, p. 2; Stage-Quarrel, p. 3). 



The Satire xlv 

which comes nearest to fulfilHng the conditions is Histrio- 
mastix, a wretched allegory, patched up, apparently, in 
1599 by Marston, and containing one character, Chrisog- 
anus, which might be construed as a representation of 
Jonson, though certainly not an uncomplimentary one. 
In the older version Chrisoganus seems to have been a 
scholar, who commented with great show of wisdom on 
the passage of events; but in the parts which show the 
touch of Marston's pen, he has the added characteristics 
of a playwright and literary dictator. It is impossible to 
say whether Histriomastix really played any part in the 
quarrel or not. Certainly the first indication of a cooling 
of friendship between Marston and Jonson is not discern- 
ible till the appearance, several months later, of Every 
Man Old of his Humor. In this play some of the fustian 
vocabulary used by Marston in Histriomastix and the 
Scourge 0} Villanie is put into the mouth of Clove. 
Small takes the position that Clove and his companion, 
Orange, are brought in merely to 'ridicule the affected 
phrases of the time ' without specific reference to Marston,* 
but in my opinion the evidence is conclusive that Jonson 
had the latter in mind. Both characters, as Cordatus tells 
us, 'are mere strangers to the whole scope of our play; 
only come to walk a turn or two in this scene of Paul's, 
by chance.' After a remark or two. Clove says to his 
friend : ' Monsieur Orange, yon gallants observe us ; prith- 
ee let's talk fustian a little, and gull them; make them 
believe we are great scholars.' As Orange approves, 
Clove proceeds to 'talk fustian.' He delivers himself 
of several short speeches, through two of which the 
Marstonian words are scattered ; I quote the first of these : 

Now, sir, whereas the ingenuity of the time, and the soul's 
synderisis are but embryons in nature, added to the panch of 
Esquiline, and the intervallum of the zodiac, besides the ecliptic 

^ Stage-Quarrel, p. 45. 



xlvi Introduction 

line being optic, and not mental, but by the contemplative and 
theoric part thereof, doth demonstrate to us the vegetable 
circumference, and the ventosity of the tropics, and whereas our 
intellectual, or mincing capreal (according to the metaphysicks) 
as you may read in Pla,to's Histriomastix— You conceive me, sir ?^ 

The italics are my own, and indicate words and phrases 
found in Marston's Histriomastix and the Scourge of 
Villanie. Even without the specific mention of Histrio- 
mastix, the evidence would be fairly convincing. Jonson. 
who loved a chaste simplicity in language, possibly 
harbored no ill feeling against Marston, but merely took 
this means to cure his friend of an unfortunate affec- 
tation. Whatever his intention, it is certain that Mar- 
ston's resentment was aroused, for he answered Jonson 
in unmistakable language. 

For our investigation, Jack Drum's Entertainment, in 
which Marston next publicly expressed himself, is of 
great interest, since it immediately preceded, and hence 
in part provoked whatever attack Cynthia's Revels may 
contain. The play is a comedy of intrigue, dealing 
chiefly with the love of two characters, Pasquil and Kather- 
ine. In the humorous underplot there appears, among 
others, a wit, critic, and practical joker, called Brabant 
Senior. Certain aspects of his character are certainly 
intended as a humorous caricature of Jonson. He crit- 
icises the 'modern wits,' calls 'the new Poet Mellidus' 
(Marston) 'a slight bubling spirit, a Corke, a Huske,' 
and finally concludes that they are all, except himself, 
' apes and guls, vile imitating spirits, drie heathie Turffes.'^ 
At the conclusion of the play, it is learned that a practical 
joke which he had designed for a poor Frenchman has 
reacted on himself, and he has been made a cuckold by 
a jest of his own devising. In strikingly earnest language 
he is arraigned by one of his fellows: 

1 Every Man Out 3. 1, p. 95. 2 p. jgS. 



The Satire xlvii 

Why should'st thou take felicitie to gull 
Good honest soules ? And in thy arrogance, 
And glorious ostentation of thy wit, 
Thinke God infused all perfection 
Into thy soule alone, and made the rest 
For thee to laugh at ? Now, you Censurer, 
Be the ridiculous subject of our mirth. 

These lines contain an unmistakable reflection on Jonson, 
the man who had so lately stepped forth in his 'humor- 
comedies' as self-appointed critic of the age, and who 
had incidentally chastened the fiery-spirited Marston in 
the second of these plays. Few men of Jonson's vanity 
and self-esteem could resist such a challenge ; hence we 
naturally expect him to take the opportunity afforded 
in Cynthia's Revels, his next play, to return Marston's 
attack. 

The first problem in Cynthia's Revels is to determine 
the identity of the characters, if identity they have. In 
Cynthia all critics see Elizabeth, but there perfect 
agreement ceases. Crites, to be sure, is recognized as a 
portrayal of Jonson, but it is no easy matter to say just 
how far the poet consciously identified himself with this 
character; he is at times so extravagantly praised that 
it seems hard to believe that Jonson could have intended 
a consistent portrait of himself.^ For example, in 2. 3. 
127 ff., he is described as 'a creature of a most perfect 
and divine temper, ... so composde & order'd, as it is 

^ Aronstein, Shak. Jahrhucli 44 (1908). 373, gives a clear expression 
of this view: 'Dass Jonson sich in dem vollkommenen Crites in Cyn- 
thia's Revels habe selbst darstellen woUen, wie Castelain mit anderen 
annimmt (S. 86), eine solche Abgeschmacktheit brauchen wir ihm 
nicht zur Last zu legen. Asper, Crites, Horace, Truewit— das sind 
einfach Verkorperungen der satirischen Weltbetrachtung, des 
ethischen Ideals des Dichters, aus denen sich allerdings interessante 
Rlickschliisse auf seine eigene Entwicklung als satirischer Welt- 
betrachter ziehen lassen.' 



xlviii Introduction 

cleare, Nature went about some ful worke, she did more 
then make a man, when she made him.' Again in 5. 8, 
21 ff., Arete represents him as composed, 'not of usuall 
earth, but of that nobler, and more precious mould, 
which Phoebus selfe doth temper.' Turning to the other 
characters, we fmd Symonds, as early as 1886, in his 
study of Ben Jonson, identifying Hedon and Anaides 
with Marston and Dekker, but making no further identi- 
fications except the obvious ones of Crites and Cynthia. 
Three years later, Swinburne published a small volume 
on Jonson. He ridiculed the notion that Cynthia's 
Revels contained anything more than the vaguest person- 
al satire, remarking in conclusion : ' To any rational and 
careful student it must be obvious that until the publi- 
cation of Jonson's Poetaster we cannot trace, I do not 
say with any certainty of evidence, but with any plausi- 
bility of conjecture, the identity of the principal persons 
attacked or derided by the satirist. '^ Fleay, in his 
Chronicle of the English Drama, 1891, swings to the other 
extreme, and characteristically sees a personality behind 
nearly every one of the dramatis personcE, offering an 
identification even for Narcissus, who does not appear 
at all, and is surely referred to merely for the sake of 
explaining the Fountain of Self-Love.^ Penmman is in- 
fluenced in his attempt at identification by a fact which 
no one can overlook who has read Cynthia's Revels with 
Every Man out of his Humor fresh in his mind; namely, 
the repetition of many of the same characters in the 
second play. Eight characters thus appear twice: 



^ A Study of Ben Jonson, p. 22. 

2 Chron. of the Eng. Drama 1. 363-4. The following identifications 
are suggested: Narcissus, Lyly; Crites, Jonson; Amorphus, Rich; 
Asotus, Lodge; Hedon, Daniel; Anaides, Dekker; Cos, George 
Whetstone; Lupus in fabula (2. 3. 78), Wolf (the publisher). 





The Satire 


Every Man Out. 


Cyn. Rev. 


Asper 


Critea 


Puntarvolo 


Amorphus 


Fungoso 


Asotus 


Fastidious Brisk 


Hedon 


Carlo Buffone 


Anaides 


Deliro 


Citizen 


Fallice 


Citizen's wife 


Saviolina 


Philautia 



xlix 



Accordingly, Penniman, who has just shown that Carlo, 
Brisk, Fungoso, and Puntarvolo represent respectively 
Marston, Daniel, Lodge, and Munday, also identifies 
Anaides, Hedon, Asotus, and Amorphus with these same 
men.^ Small takes the attitude that Every Man out of 
his Humor contains little or no personal satire, and that 
the only characters in Cynthia's Revels meant to represent 
individuals are Hedon and Anaides. His identification of 
these two is based on a famous passage from Satiromastix 
(p. 195), in which Dekker, who in the latter play is called 
Demetrius, applies to himself and Marston (Crispinus) 
lines that refer to Anaides and Hedon ^i 

Horace. That same Crispinus is the silliest Dor, and Faninus 
[Demetrius] the sUghtest cob-web-lawne peece of a Poet, oh God ! 
Why should I care what every Dor doth buz 
In credulous eares, it is a crowne to me, 
That the best iudgements can report me wrong'd. 

Asinius. I am one of them that can report it: 

Hor. I thinke but what they are, and am not moov'd. 
The one a hght voluptuous Reveler, 
The other, a strange arrogating puffe. 
Both impudent, and arrogant enough. 

Asin. S'lid do not Criticus Revel in these lynes, ha Ningle ha ? 

The verse is from Cynthia's Revels 3. 3. 8—10 and 24—27, 
where Crites in a soliloquy expresses his disdain of the 
plots which Hedon and Anaides have been laying for 

^ War, p. 76. 2 Stage-Quarrel, p. 30. 



1 Introduction 

him. Small recognizes the fact that Hedon and (particu- 
larly) Anaides do not fit the characters of Marston and 
Dekker perfectly; this he explains by arguing that they 
represent the latter only in so far as they correspond 
to Crispinus and Demetrius in Poetaster, and that in 
other respects they show themselves to be transition- 
characters from Carlo and Brisk in Every Man out of 
his Humor. 

In my opinion, the conclusions of most of the critics 
from Fleay on indicate a lack of appreciation of the 
general nature of practically all the satire in Cynthia's 
Revels. When one compares it carefully with the 
formal and informal satire of the time, and with the 
character-books of a few years later, one is impressed 
with its essential similarity to all these types, and accord- 
ingly with its conventional quality. In the section on 
sources I have tried to make this clear. But there are 
several passages where a different tone is apparent, 
where the poet seems for the moment to have cast 
aside his abstractions, and adopted a manner which 
suggests a form of personal address to his enemies and 
detractors. The satire of this sort is found chiefly in 
the hundred lines comprising scenes 2 and 3 of Act 3. 
In Act 2, scene 2, Hedon and Anaides plot against 
Crites ; the latter, who passes by, overhears their machina- 
tions, and in the next scene expresses his scorn of such 
enemies. The two courtiers in their conversation charge 
Crites with being a bookworm, a candle-waster, a poor 
scholar dressed in rough garments, one who is confident 
and self-satisfied, and cannot be provoked to passion. 
They determine to speak venom of him and poison his 
reputation everywhere ; wherever his doings are dis- 
cussed in public or in private, they will censure them, 
and declare him a plagiarist. Crites cares not in the 
least for all their designs ; coming from such a source. 



The Satire li 

they would do him good, rather than harm. What 
sensible man would heed Anaides, the impudent gallant, 
or Hedon, the reveler ? They pretend to aim at other 
objects, but he sees through their clever tricks, and 
knows that their venom is directed at him. 

It is difficult to read these lines and not believe that 
Jonson is thinking of his own detractors, men who 
despised him and had spread calumnious reports about 
him in an effort to injure his reputation. While it is 
just possible that memories of real or imagined insults 
from Marston and Dekker were lurking in the poet's 
mind, it is certainly more natural to suppose that un- 
happy experiences with the gallants of Elizabeth's 
court were responsible for the bitterness here exhibited. 
It is true that the passage from Saiiromastix (quoted 
on page xlix) in which Dekker seems to identify Hedon 
and Anaides with Crispinus (Marston) and Demetrius 
(Dekker) of Poetaster inclines one at first to the opinion 
that Dekker believed Jonson had himself and Marston 
in mind. It is not likely, however, that Dekker intro- 
duced the quotation from Cynthia's Revels with any 
thought of identification. Mr. Brooke, discussing this 
matter in his recently published Tudor Drama, says : 
'From the comment of Asinius . . ., " S'lid, do not Crit- 
icus Reuel in these lynes ? " it seems clear that Dekker's 
purpose in quoting the passage is merely to ridicule the 
pompous egoism of Criticus-Horace- Jonson, and not at 
all to suggest the identity of the two pairs of characters 
about whom the words are spoken. In fact,' he con- 
tinues, 'Hedon and Anaides do not resemble Marston 
and Dekker either as the latter actually were, or as 
Jonson caricatured them in The Poetaster. The former 
are extravagant and feeble-minded gallants of the court, 
whose offence against Criticus consists not in literary 
rivalry, but in the spreading of calumnious reports. 

d2 



lii Introduction 

Only prepossession in favor of a theory could well suggest 
a connection between these symbolic representatives of 
fashionable dissipation . . . and the beggarly hacks, 
Crispinus and Demetrius, of The Poetaster.'^ 

Although it is not likely that any of the gallants in 
Cynthia's Revels were intended to represent real person- 
ages, it is almost certain that several thrusts which 
Jonson makes at his fellow playwrights were directed 
mainly against Marston and Dekker. In the Induction 
(lines 178—97) certain poets are described, men who 
are ' promoters of other mens iests ' ; who ' way-lay all 
the stale apothegmes, or olde bookes, they can heare of 
(in print, or otherwise) to farce their Scenes withall' ; 
and who 'feeding their friends with nothing of their 
owne, but what they have twice or thrice cook'd, . . . 
wantonly give out, how soone they had drest it,' etc. 
The charges of plagiarism made against Marston and 
Dekker in Poetaster, together with the fact that Dekker, 
as shown by several passages in Satiromastix, greatly 
prided himself on his ability to compose rapidly, in- 
dicate pretty plainly that Jonson had Marston and 
Dekker in mind when he wrote these words. Again, 
the satire on poetasters who never fail to use every 
strange word they have gotten acquainted with, even 
though it destroy their meaning (2. 4. 15), was probably 
intended mainly for Marston. The presence of these 
rather blunt strictures on the conduct of Marston and 
Dekker removes still further the likelihood that satire ot 
so different a character was visited upon them in the same 
play through their representation by the two courtiers. 

^ P. 377, note. See also pp. 380 ff., where the theory is advanced 
that jealousy between the two rival companies, the Chamberlain's 
Men and the Children of her Majesty's Chapel, may have been a more 
important factor in the stage-quarrel than has generally been rec- 
ognized. 



The Satire liii 

Later plays connected with the stage-quarrel support 
the hypothesis that Hedon and Anaides were not intended 
nor understood to be representations of Marston and Dek- 
ker. Jonson himself, in the Apologetical Dialogue of Poet- 
aster (p. 514), professes to have borne the insults of his 
enemies, till at last, 'unwilling, but weary ... of so 
much trouble,' he decided to 'try if shame could win 
upon 'em.' In other words, he considered Poetaster his 
first sustained attack on them, a fact which is perfectly in 
harmony with the theory that they are assailed in Cyn- 
thia's Revels only in the comparatively few lines where 
certain poets are charged with ' servile imitation,' adap- 
tation of the work of others, pride at the rapidity of 
their own craftsmanship, and the misuse of words. 
Dekker is probably referring to this semi-disguised 
encounter when he says in Satiromastix, pp. 197—8: 

But when your dastard wit will strike at men 
In corners, and in riddles folde the vices 
Of your best friends, you must not take to heart, 
If they take off all gilding from their piUes, 
And onely offer you the bitter Coare. 

Further support for this idea is found in Marston 's 
What You Will. As Small has pointed out, clear refer- 
ences to Cynthia's Revels, but no allusions to Poetaster, 
show that this play must have appeared shortly before 
the latter. The passages which point to Cynthia's 
Revels are as follows: 

No, sir ; should discreet Mastigophoros, 

Or the dear spirit acute Canaidus 

. . . should these once menace me, 

Or curb my humours with well-govern'd check, 

I should with most industrious regard. 

Observe, abstain, and curb my skipping hghtness ; 

But when an arrogant, odd, impudent, 

A blushless forehead, only out of sense 



liv Introduction 

Of his own wants, bawls in malignant questing 

At others' means of waving gallantry,— 

Pight foutra! 2. 1, p. 351. 

With this, compare Cynthia's Revels 3. 3. 18—24: 

If good Chrestus, 
Euthus, or Phronimus, had spoke the words, 
They would have moov'd me, and I should have call'd 
My thoughts, and actions, to a strict accompt 
Vpon the hearing: But when I remember, 
'Tis Hedon, and Anaides: alasse, then, 
I thinke but what they are, and am not stirr'd. 

Again, we have in What You Will 2. i, p. 352: 

A man can scarce . . . eat good meat. 
Anchovies, caviare, but he's satired 
And term'd fantastical by the muddy spawn 
Of shmy newts. 

The parallel passage is in Cynthia's Revels 2. 3. 108—10, 
which was, however, changed by Jonson in the folio; 
hence I quote from the quarto: 

He doth learne to eat Anchoves, & Caveare because he 
loves 'hem. 

These passages prove beyond question that the play 
follows Cynthia's Revels. The two characters who concern 
us in this play are Lampatho Doria and Quadratus, both 
satiric poets with virulent tongues. That one or the 
other is meant for Jonson is recognized by the critics, 
but, strangely enough, opinion seems about equally 
divided as to which represents Jonson and which Marston. 
Small thinks that Lampatho is Jonson, and that Quadrat- 
us, though expressing some of Marston's ideas, is merely 
a 'critic on the stage. '^ Penniman and Schelling identify 
Quadratus with Jonson, ^ and Dixon, though uncertain, 
is inchned to agree with them.^ It is not possible here to 

^ Stage-Quarrel, pp. 110-4. ^ ^^^^ ^^ 138-43; Elizabethan 

Drama 1. 488. ^ Cambridge Hist, of Eng. Lit. 6. 49. 



The Satire Iv 

weigh these confhcting views, which have been mentioned 
merely to show that in any case the satire on Jonson 
is neither a very bitter nor a very personal one; for if it 
were, there would be no possibility of uncertainty as to 
which Marston meant for a portrait of his enemy, and 
which for one of himself. Hence, Marston cannot have 
taken the portrayal of Hedon as a representation of 
himself ; for if he had done so, he would have retaliated 
in this play, written just after Cynthia's Revels, in a 
much more savage fashion. 

The remaining events in the quarrel are quickly related. 
Jonson, learning that his enemies were preparing a 
vigorous satire on himself, for once in his life worked 
with rapidity, and produced Poetaster in fifteen weeks: 
'I determined,' he says, to 'try if shame could win 
upon 'em, 

And therefore chose Agustus Caesar's times, 

When wit and arts were at their height in Rome, 

To shew that Virgil, Horace, and the rest 

Of those great master-spirits, did not want 

Detractors then, or practicers against them: 

And by this line, although no parallel, 

I hoped at last they would sit down and blush. "^ 

Jonson is represented by the poet Horace; Marston 
and Dekker, by Crispinus and Demetrius. The latter, 
who are both rimesters of a poor order, envy the ability 
and position of the former. A banquet at which the 
guests impersonate the gods is brought to a sudden 
conclusion by Caesar and Horace, the latter having 
learned of it and informed the Emperor. The malice of 
Crispinus, who chanced to be present, is redoubled toward 
the informant; aided by a bragging captain, Tucca by 
name, he secures his arrest. Horace, after easily clearing 
himself, brings a countercharge against Crispinus and 

1 Poetaster, Apologetical Dialogue, pp. 514-5. 



Ivi Introduction 

Crispinus ' friend, Demetrius, to the effect that they have 
Hbeled him in a play. They are tried and convicted, and 
a pill is administered to Crispinus which causes him to 
vomit up a score or two of 'wild outlandish terms,' to 
which he had previously in his writing shown an un- 
natural devotion. A diet of the best classic writers is 
prescribed him, and he is earnestly advised to conduct 
himself in the future with more humility. 

Satiromastix , or the Untrussing of the Humorous Poet, 
the play written as an answer to Poetaster, must have 
been produced in great haste. Dekker, who did the work, 
seems to have taken a partly written tragedy intended to 
portray the unlawful passion of King William Rufus for 
the maiden Celestine, and the latter's death at the hands 
of her father to save her from dishonor, and grafted upon 
it his Horace-Crispinus-Demetrius episodes. A sub- 
plot, introducing an absurd Welshman and his friends, 
supplies a comic element, and indeed the play becomes 
a comedy through the recovery of Celestine, who proves 
to have been drugged, not poisoned, by her father. The 
portions dealing with Horace are well distributed through 
the play, and contain numerous allusions to Poetaster 
and to Cynthia's Revels. Horace is first discovered in his 
study, turning out poor verses very slowly and painfully. 
Crispinus and Demetrius visit him, and take him to task 
for his arrogance; the conversation is concluded by his 
pledging his love to them, and solemnly promising to 
abuse them no longer. He soon breaks his word, however, 
by writing epigrams on them, which are distributed by 
his henchman, Asinus. For this new offense, Horace is 
given a double punishment : he is tossed in a blanket, and 
finally crowned with nettles, and required to give oath 
that he will no longer err as he has in the past, a number 
of his" misdeeds being specifically mentioned. Two of 
them suggest passages in the Induction of Cynthia's 



Sources Ivii 

Revels: he must swear 'not to bumbast out a new play, 
with the olde lynings of lests, stolen from the Temples 
Revels'; and when his plays are misliked at Court, he 
must not 'crye Mew like a Pusse-cat,' and say he is glad 
he writes out of the courtiers' element. Some of the 
satire is rather severe, but not more so than that found 
in Poetaster. Such passages as the following draw our 
sympathy to Dekker (p. 198) : 

In troth we doe, out of our loves we come. 

And not revenge, but if you strike us still, 

We must defend our reputations: 

Our pens shall like our swords be alwayes sheath'd, 

Unlesse too much provockt, Horace if then 

They draw bloud of you, blame us not, we are men. 

Jonson's Apologetical Dialogue, appended to Poet- 
aster, in which he promised to drop the quarrel and 
devote himself to tragedy, seems to have ended the 
strife, for we find Marston soon after collaborating with 
Jonson; and Dekker, who never showed very much 
bitterness, did not refer to it again in any of his works. 



E. Sources 

I. LYLY 

Cynthia's Revels, especially certain scenes in the first 
and fifth acts, presents a striking contrast to Jonson's 
other plays. Excepting only Cynthia's Revels and the 
Sad Shepherd, the charming pastoral which he left 
unfinished at his death, his comedies are all intensely 
realistic. The haze of imagination and mystery with 
which his contemporaries, even realists like Dekker, 
enveloped their work at times, was banished in Jonson's 
plays by the glaring sunlight of fact. He enjoyed best 
sketching the men and women whom he saw from day to 



Iviii Introduction 

day on the London streets, and in the playhouses and 
taverns, showing a preference, as a rule, for the least 
charming and ideal among them; hence, rogues, gulls, 
and foolish gallants form his most important characters. 
Dol Common has been called the greatest woman he ever 
created, and certainly his best male characters are clever 
sharpers. This fondness for a faithful portrayal of nature 
was extended to his Roman tragedies, and made them 
marvels of historical accuracy. It was responsible, too, 
for the irritation which his fellow-dramatists caused him 
by carelessness in regard to geographical details,^ and by 
the 'admirable dexterity' with which they shifted their 
scene of action from one country to another. ^ He hated 
to hear language 'fly from all humanity,' as it did in 
Tamburlaine. ' The true artificer will not run away from 
nature, as he were afraid of her,' he tells us, 'or depart 
from life and the likeness of truth. '^ And yet we find the 
man who expresses such views placing his scene in the 
romantic vale of Gargaphie, endowing the nymph Echo 
with body and speech after she has suffered the loss of 
both for three thousand years, and causing his whole 
plot to turn on the drinking of water from a magic 
fountain. The man who caused Jonson thus to depart 
from his established practice was none other than the 
poet Lyly. 

Lyly has three comedies which must have served in 
some degree as models to Jonson: Sapho and Phao, 
Endimion, and My das. They are all allegories of court- 
life under classical names. In these, as in Cynthia's 
Revels, we find a highly adulatory tone maintained 
toward Elizabeth ; indeed, praise and flattery of her seem 
to be very important, if not the prime, motives in their 
composition. In each one some notable event of political 

^ Conversations, Wks. 9. 385. ^ Every Man Out, Induct., p. 23. 
3 Explorata, Wks. 9. 159. 



Sources lix 

or personal significance to the Queen has been selected 
as the basis of the plot. Thus the Duke of Alengon's 
departure from England in 1582 is employed in Sapho 
and Phao; the antagonistic relations of Philip II toward 
England appear in Mydas, the titular character being 
none other than the King of Spain himself ; and in Endim- 
ion, the theme of Sapho and Phao is repeated, this time 
Leicester, the former lover of Queen Elizabeth, taking the 
leading part. 

Jonson, like Lyly before him, saw a political situation 
which he felt he could turn to his own advantage. This 
has already been touched upon in our discussion of the 
allegory in Cynthia's Revels (p. xxiv) . Elizabeth's delusive 
encouragement of young lovers who sought advancement 
at court, the efforts of younger men to force their way 
into the circle of her old advisers, and the discontent of a 
large body of the citizens who felt they were suffering 
from excessive taxation, all conspired to develop dangerous 
factions, which rendered the Queen's last years far from 
tranquil, and at times even menaced the government. 
All Jonson's sympathies placed him unhesitatingly on the 
side of Elizabeth. Moreover, he had an ardent desire to 
gain a footing at court. Accordingly, it is not surprising 
to find him turning to the models which Lyly had given 
him, in order to employ a situation similar to those which 
Lyly had earlier made use of. It is hardly necessary to 
remark that he must have hoped for better success than 
had crowned the efforts of Lyly. 

Jonson's imitation of Lyly extended further than the 
production of a play based on a contemporary political 
situation, and highly flattering to the Queen. It repro- 
duces in places the masque-like, Arcadian effects found 
in Lyly's comedies. This marks Jonson's first effort at 
such writing, and is extremely significant in view of the 
eminence which he later attained in it. Bayne says: 'In 



Ix Introduction 

Cynthia's Revels, a great realist, the author of Bartholomew 
Fair, succeeds in making us understand how he came to 
write masques. We see his mind becoming absorbed in 
the particular art and method of which the masque was 
an expression.'^ 

Besides the debt to Lyly's general practice, several 
features of Cynthia's Revels show a peculiar obligation to 
Endimion. The pages, Cupid, Morus, and the rest, are 
repetitions of Samias, Dares, and Epiton, Lyly's clever 
boys. In both plays we have a magic fountain in a wood. 
Still more striking, perhaps, is the similarity of the 
attitude adopted by both poets toward Cynthia. Her 
moon-attributes are transferred, and applied to her treat- 
ment of and relations with men. Thus in Jonson, as well 
as in Lyly, we find the moon's ceaseless influence in its 
regulation of the ebb and flow of the tides mentioned as 
an evidence of Elizabeth's stabilit}' and constancy.^ 
Further, we are told that time has no effect upon the moon, 
nor does Elizabeth remotely feel its passage:^ 

Yeeres are beneath the spheres: and time makes weake 
Things under heaven, not powers which governe heaven.'* 

The waxing and the waning of the moon is turned to 
good use by both poets, but in a somewhat different 
manner. Lyly mamtains that both gods and men would 
be transported by her charms if she remained perpetually 
in the glory of her fullness, hence modesty compels her 
to wane.^ With Jonson, her waning represents the burn- 
ing out of her 'virgin-waxen torch,' which she expends 
in giving light to men who are too often ungrateful for 
the bounty they receive. Of course the sort of treatment 
which Elizabeth is accorded in Cynthia's Revels had 

. 1 Cambridge Hist, of Eng. Lit. 6. 380. 

2 Cyn. Rev. 5. 5. 19-22; Endimion 1. 1, p. 6. 

3 Endimion 1. 1, p. 7. « Cyn. Rev. 5. 11. 38-9. 



Sources Ixi 

already become traditional, yet the similarity in method 
of the two poets points unmistakably to Lyly's influence. 
It is more than likely that Jonson derived the general 
idea of Cupid's conduct from Gallathea} Cupid's deter- 
mination to assume a disguise and amuse himself with 
Diana's n^inphs, his subsequent discovery by Diana, and 
his inability to withstand her chastity, while worked out 
differently in detail, are all present in the earlier play. 
Several specific passages from Gallathea must, I think, 
have been in Jonson's mind. In Lyly's play, Cupid is 
first introduced to us in conversation with one of Diana's 
nymphs. The latter, after declaring that her companions 
are all virgins who find their pleasure not in love, but in 
the chase, leaves him. He then remarks: 

Diana, and thou, and all thine, shall know that Cupid is a 
great god; I will practise a while in these woodes, and play such 
pranckes with these nymphes, that while they ayme to hit 
others with their arrowes, they shall bee wounded themselves 
with their owne eyes.^ 

In Cynthia's Revels, Cupid thus unfolds his purpose to 
Mercury : 

Here doe I meane to put off the title of a god, and take the 
habite of a page, in which disguise ... I wiU get to follow some 
one of Dianaes maides, where (if my bow hold, and my shafts 
fUe but with halfe the willingnesse, and aime they are directed) 
I doubt not, but I shaU really redeeme the minutes I have 
lost, by their so long and over-nice proscription of my deitie, 
from their court. ^ 

In Gallathea, Cupid is finally captured by Diana, and 
turned over to his mother Venus. ' I will bee wary how 
my Sonne wander againe,' remarks the latter, 'but 
Diana cannot forbid him to wound.' To which Diana 
responds: 'Yes, chastitie is not within the levell of his 
bow.'* And in Cynthia's Revels, Mercury thus predicts 

^ Cf. Baskervill, Eng. Elements in Jonson^s Early Comedy, p. 242. 
2 1. 2, p. 224. » 1. 1. 106-13. * 5. 3, p. 271. 



1 xii Introduction 

Cupid's inability to wound : ' All that I feare, is Cynthias 
presence; which, with the cold of her chastitie, casteth 
such an antiperistasis about the place, that no heate of 
thine will tarry with the patient.'^ 

It has often been assumed that Jonson in Cynthia's 
Revels is ridiculing Lyly's dramatic practice, and also 
the courtly discourse made popular a dozen years previous 
by the latter's Euphuistic romances. The first of these 
theories finds some support in the remark put into the 
mouth of the child who sketches the argument of the 
drama in the Induction (50—2): 'Take anie of our play- 
bookes without a Cupid, or a Mercury in it, and burne it 
for an heretique in Poetrie.' This alludes, of course, to 
Lyly, but does not necessarily imply more than a whimsi- 
cal reference to his well-known practice. The underlying 
serious motive of the play, and the important place which 
Elizabeth has in the portions most closely imitated from 
Lyly, imply the adoption of this style merely because of 
its peculiar applicability. A careful examination of the 
affected language of the courtiers shows it to be quite 
different from that which Lyly used, a fact which has 
been remarked on by more than one critic of recent 
years. 'Cynthia's Revels,' says Bond, 'is so far from 
being ridicule of Lyly that it is written in much the 
same severe temper as the Anatomy of Wit : it is a carica- 
ture, to which some personal rebuff, perhaps, had lent 
a sting, of that courtly society whose humour the novel, 
of twenty years before, had been found to fit.'^ The same 
question has often been raised in regard to Love's Labor's 
Lost. The answer which Bond makes to this has equal 
application to Cynthia's Revels : ' The style of the courtiers 
in Love's Labor's Lost is rather the inflated metaphorical 
style made fashionable at the Spanish Court about this 

1 5. 10. 31-34. 2 Quarterly Review, Jan., 1896, p. 122. 



Sources Ixiii 

period by Luis de Gongora ; and the play itself is an attack 
on violation of nature by convention or affectation of 
any kind.'^ 

II. CLASSICAL BORROWINGS 

Jonson's debt to the classics is very small in Cynthia's 
Revels. His classical borrowings, most of which were 
pointed out, at least in a general way, by Gifford, are 
found recorded in the notes. Classical writers to whom he 
owes a greater or less obligation are Juvenal, Martial, 
Lucian, Aristophanes, Plato, and Virgil. It is odd that 
we have nothing to attribute to Horace, since in his 
shorter satirical poems he shows the influence of the latter 
more often than that of Juvenal.^ 

The only translation or adaptation of any length from 
the classics is found in i. i. 1—89. Here Lucian's Dia- 
logues of the Gods have been put to such good use that 
the imitation is quite as vigorous and animated as the 
original — which is saying a good deal — and furnishes 
one of the really choice spots in our drama. Since the 
parallel passages from Lucian have been given in full in 
the notes, further discussion is unnecessary here, except a 
word, perhaps, in regard to Jonson's general method of 
using his classical sources. One of the accusations brought 
against him in the stage-quarrel was plagiarism. Certain- 
ly he used the classics freely, as a reference to his 
sources for such plays as Catiline and Poetaster shows; 
even some of his famous lyrics, 'Drink to me onlj^ 
with thine eyes,' and ' Still to be neat,' have been traced 
to classical sources. But in this matter everything 
depends on the method employed. There is no more reason 

^ Bond, ed. Lyly, 1. 151. Cf. also Eduard Schwan, in Englische 
Studien 6. 103-4. 

2 Alden, Eise of Formal Satire in Eng., p. 196. 



Ixiv Introduction 

to accuse Jonson of plagiarism than Shakespeare; the 
former, Hke the latter, thoroughly assimilated what he 
used, and sent it forth embodied in new and virile expres- 
sion. Alden remarks in this connection: 'He was able 
to appreciate the classical satirists as fully as any, and 
more able than any other to translate their spirit without 
slavish imitation. '1 Jonson himself professed to deem 
translation as valuable as invention, ^ and, indeed, indis- 
pensable to the true poet. 'The third requisite in our 
poet, or maker,' he says, having just named 'natural wit' 
and 'labor,' 'is imitation, to be able to convert the sub- 
stance or riches of another poet to his own use. . . . Not 
as a creature that swallows what it takes in crude, raw, 
or undigested; but that feeds with an appetite, and hath 
a stomach to concoct, divide, and turn all into nourish- 
ment.'^ 

Next to the obligation which Jonson owes Lucian is 
his debt to Aristophanes. In the first place, the 'nymph 
Argurion' was clearly suggested by thePlutus of Aristoph- 
anes, though Lucian's imitation of the latter in his 
Timon the Misanthrope may also have been in Jonson 's 
mind. Argurion is a strangely conceived character. 
According to Cupid's description of her (2. 3. 169—90), 
she is nothing more than a personification of money, the 
coin which litters gambling-tables, bribes lawyers, and 
refuses to tarry in the pocket of a student. Some of her 
actions support this notion of her which Cupid gives us. 
Soon after making her appearance, she falls in love with 
Asotus, the young spendthrift, heir of Philargyrus, loads 
him with jewels and bracelets as tokens of her affection, 
and swoons away upon his bestowal of them on the other 
gallants. As she is carried out. Mercury remarks, 'Well, 
I doubt, all the physique hee has will scarce recover her: 

1 Ihid., p. 196. 2 Poetaster 5. 1, p. 496. 

3 Explorata, Wks. 9. 216. 



Sources Ixv 

shee's too farre spent. '^ She probably was 'too farre 
spent,' since this is her final exit. She does not always, 
as here, act in conformity with her name : while the games 
in the presence-chamber are in progress, her conduct does 
not differ in any way from that of the other court-ladies. 
Jonson has not copied his model at all closely, though in 
Cupid's description of Argurion there are suggestions of 
the speech which Plutus makes when declining to enter 
Chremylus' house. Plutus tells of his mistreatment at 
the hands of men, how misers bury him deep in the 
ground, denying that they ever knew him when friends 
ask for a loan, and how spendthrifts carelessly cast him 
away. Certainly Jonson's conception of money, as put 
into Cupid's mouth, much surpasses in lively imagination 
Plutus' description of the treatment accorded him. In 
The Staple of News, Jonson has introduced another 
personification of money in Pecunia, Infanta of the Mines. 
There is some ground for believing that Jonson owed 
Aristophanes a much more important debt, one arising 
from the influence of Aristophanes on the general charac- 
ter of Cynthia's Revels. Certainly the strange combina- 
tion of real and unreal, allegory and burlesque, and the 
nature of the characters, who come closer to representing 
pure abstractions than any others Jonson ever drew, 
together with flights of true poetry in the passages which 
concern Cynthia, point to Aristophanic models. It seems 
as though Jonson's reverence for what he termed 'art' 
would have rendered so inharmonious a production 
impossible unless he felt, at least in a vague way, that 
the example of Aristophanes was giving him sanction. 
Taine, writing of Cynthia's Revels, says: 'Is it an opera 
or a comedy ? It is a lyrical comedy ; and if we do not 
discover in it the airy lightness of Aristophanes, at least 

1 4. 3. 453-4. 



Ixvi Introduction 

we encounter, as in the Birds and the Frogs, the contrasts 
and medleys of poetic invention, which, through carica- 
ture and ode, the real and the impossible, the present and 
the past, comprehending the four quarters of the globe, 
simultaneously unites all kinds of incompatibilities, and 
culls all flowers.'^ 

III. SIXTEENTH CENTURY SATIRE 

A study of sources would not be complete without at 
least a reference to the satire of the day. In an earlier 
section on the satire in Cynthia's Revels, an effort is made 
to show the vogue which ridicule of affected courtiers, and 
of coxcombry in general, had attained by the year 1600. 
It was in the air, and even men who did not possess 
Jonson's rugged temperament and touch of Puritan 
simplicity were attracted to it. It is hard to determine 
how much Jonson was influenced by the men who 
preceded him. In the case of Shakespeare the same 
problem presents itself. His plays mark the culmination 
of the Elizabethan romantic drama, just as Jonson's 
mark that of Elizabethan satire; but it is very difficult 
to weigh the influence of his predecessors. Considering, 
however, the similarity in tone and aim in the work of 
such men as Donne, Hall, and Marston, it would be 
unreasonable to disregard Jonson's probable debt to them. 

IV. THE CHARACTER-BOOKS 

The unique position which Jonson holds, as the first 
English writer of character-sketches, has never been 
sufficiently emphasized. Character-writing appears, of 
course, in other earlier writers, as Chaucer, Skelton, and 
Audley, but Jonson was the first to give us the precise 
type and form which was cultivated during the seventeenth 

1 Hist, of Eng. Lit. 1. 291. 



Sources Ixvii 

century by Hall, Overbury, Breton, Earle, Butler, and 
many others. 

The character-sketch as left us by these men deserves 
to be considered a distinct type of literature, almost as 
clearly defined as the lyric or the drama. It was always 
brief, generally from two to four hundred words in length, 
and uniformly written in terse, striking language. The 
best character-sketches have an epigrammatic and often 
jocular tone, and a vivid concreteness. Types of men, 
stock characters of the day, were generally chosen as 
their subjects, such as A Young Raw Preacher, An 
Upstart Knight, A Young Gentleman of the University, 
A Constable, A Player, etc. Sometimes inanimate objects 
were treated in a similar fashion: thus Earle's collection 
includes a sketch of A Tavern, 'A Bowie- Alley,' and 
Paul's Walk. 

It is interesting to trace Jonson's progress toward this 
type of writing, a progress which was marked by several 
distinct steps. The first is represented by the typical 
character of his comedies, which, to be sure, has much 
in common with the abstract creations of the character- 
writers. His dramatis personce are all individualized, not 
by essential qualities of nature, fundamental spiritual 
traits, but by vagaries and caprices, which are sometimes 
not so deep-seated but that they may be eradicated 
before the end of the play, as in Every Man out of his 
Humor. Accordingly, we think of the persons of his 
dramas, not as real mdividuals with whom we have 
actually come in contact for a short time, but as ' the man 
who could not endure noise,' 'the arch-deceiver of his 
fellows,' 'the unparalleled parasite,' etc. Jonson has no 
Dr. Faustus, no Evadne, no Rosalind. 

His second definite step toward character-writing is 
represented by the brief character-sketches of the 
dramatis personce prepared for Every Man out of his 

e2 



Ixviii Introduction 

Humor. Into from two to ten lines he has crowded the 
striking traits of each individual, so that we have here 
a typical seventeenth-century character-book in minia- 
ture.^ The complete development of this idea, however, 
was reserved for his next play, Cynthia's Revels. 

The second act of Cynthia's Revels might well be called 
the first English character-book. It contains no fewer 
than eight perfect character-sketches, in method, 
general style, and length, remarkably similar to Over- 
bury's or Earle's. It being evidently Jonson's purpose 
to make us acquainted with his characters as soon as 
possible, he causes Mercury and Cupid, who have become 
pages, to discuss their masters and their masters' friends. 
Cupid first inquires of Mercury what ' parcell of man ' he 
has lighted on for a master. Mercury answers by describ- 
ing Hedon, i. e., by giving the character of a Pleasure- 
Loving Courtier. Hedon and Anaides next appear, 
converse a few moments, and depart, giving Mercury an 
opportunity to sketch the character of an Impudent 
Courtier. And so it continues till the Ideal Critic, the 
Deformed Traveler, the Spendthrift Fool, the Personi- 
fication of Money, the Foolish Woman, and the Lady of 
Pleasure, have all been presented. In i. 3. 30—43, 
Amorphus is allowed to describe himself, so that we have 
in all nine character-sketches. The vivid, concrete 
language, the ingenious selection of telling traits, and the 
marvelous conciseness, make them a collection of master- 
pieces, however out of place they may be as parts of 
a drama. 

The similarity of Jonson's characterizations to the 
seventeenth-century character-sketches becomes exceed- 
ingly striking when his descriptions of gallants are com- 

■^ 'Sordido: A wretched hob-nailed chuff, whose recreation is 
reading of almanacks; and feUcity, foul weather. One that never 
pray'd but for a lean death, and ever wept in a fat harvest.' 



Sources 



Ixix 



pared, for example, with Earle's or Overbury's portrayal 
of the same types. Overbury has a sketch entitled, A 
Phantastique: An Improvident Young Gallant. If it 
were substituted for the sketches of AnaidesorAmorphus, 
a casual reader would scarcely detect the exchange. Like 
Anaides, ' he accounts bashfulness the wickedest thing in 
the world, and therefore studies impudence. If all men 
were of his mind all honesty would be out of fashion.' 
'He is traveled,' we are told, 'but to little purpose; 
only went over for a squirt and came back again, yet 
never the more mended in his conditions, because he 
carried himself along with him.' Earle has the character 
of an Idle Gallant, which shows many parallels to Jon- 
son's characters of gallants. 



From An Idle Gallant. 



Is one that was born and shaped 
for his cloaths. 



From the sketches of gallants 
in Cyn. Rev. 

Hee never makes generall in- 
vitement, but against the pub- 
hshing of a new sute. 2. 1. 55. 



If he be qualified in gaming ex- 
traordinary he is so much the 
more genteel and compleat, and 
he learns the best oaths for the 
purpose. These are a great part 
of his discourse, and he is as 
curious in their newness as the 
fashion. 



Hee is a great proficient in all 
the illiberall sciences, as cheating, 
drinking, swaggering. . . . He wil 
blaspheme in his shirt. The othes 
which hee vomits at one supper, 
would maintaine a towne of garri- 
son in good swearing a twelve- 
moneth. 2. 2. 92. 



His pick-tooth bears a great 
part in his discourse. 



He walkes most commonly with 
a clove, or pick-tooth in his mouth. 
2. 3. 90. 



He is furnished with his jests, 
as some wanderer with sermons, 
some three for all congregations, 
one especially against the schol- 
ar, a man to him much ridic- 



Stabs any man that speakes more 
contemptibly of the scholler then 
he. 2. 2. 91. 



Ixx Introduction 

ulous, whom he knows by no 
other definition, but a silly fel- 
low in black. 

An ornament to the room he He's thought a verie necessarie 

comes in as the fair bed and perfume for the presence, and for 

hangings be ; and is meerly that onely cause welcome thither, 
ratable accordingly, fifty or an 2. 1. 61. 

hundred pounds as his suit is. 

Jonson's inclination to character-writing was certainly 
due in part to the response which his spirit gave to the 
temper of the age in which he lived. The analytic spirit, 
which so often appears after an age of notable creative 
power, was already beginning to make itself felt ; and this 
disposition of mind, soon to become prevalent, found a 
very early expression in him. But though Jonson was a 
product of his own time, he was also a child of antiquity, 
deeply imbued with Latin and Greek literature, whence 
he drew his chief inspiration, and to which he paid an 
unusual reverence. It is, then, only reasonable to inquire 
how far the Greek character-writers influenced him. 

Theophrastus, born in the fourth century B. C. at 
Lesbos, a pupil of Aristotle, and later head of the Peripa- 
tetic School, has often been called the first character- 
writer. In 1592 Casaubon published a Latin edition of 
the Characters of Theophrastus, which attained such 
popularity that another edition was called for six years 
later. Of course Jonson must have known this Latin 
translation, and, considering his intimacy with the classics, 
probably knew the Greek also. Gifford, in his edition 
of Volpone, has identified one of the entries in the diary 
of Sir Pohtick Would-be as a direct borrowing from 
Theophrastus^; and Baldwin has remarked on the simi- 
larity in style of the character-sketches affixed to Every 

^ Volpone 4. 1, p. 26G. 



Sources Ixxi 

Man out of his Humoy and the New Inn to those of 
Theophrastus.^ 

A still more striking use of a Greek character-sketch 
by Jonson is found in Eplccene. Here he has turned to 
excellent use a sketch by the fourth-century rhetorician, 
Libanius. Many details of treatment are derived from 
this model, as well as the underlying idea of a morose man 
married to a talkative woman. 

A detailed comparison of Jonson's character- sketches 
m Cynthia's Revels with those of Theophrastus is interest- 
ing. Such a comparison convinces one that Jonson has 
a very well defined obligation to Theophrastus. The latter 
has adopted one plan which he follows in all his sketches. 
He begins each one with a definition of the quality to be 
presented, as, for example: 'Arrogance is a certain scorn 
for all the world beside oneself.' He then describes the 
arrogant man by telling what he does, often beginning 
his statements by relating the circumstances which 
occasion the particular act, thus: '"WTien he walks m 
the streets he will not speak to those whom he meets. . . . 
If he entertains his friends, he will not dine with them 
himself, but will appoint a subordinate to preside. As 
soon as he sets out on a journey, he will send some one 
forward to say that he is coming,'^ etc. Even this brief 
quotation makes apparent certain differences in the work 
of the two men. A freedom and variety of expression 
save Jonson's sketches from the monotony found in those 
of Theophrastus, while a continual piquancy of thought 
separates him still further from his Greek model. On the 
other hand, both writers follow the practice of describing 
a character chiefly by what he does, and are about 
equally successful in producing a definite picture, and 

^ ' Ben Jonson's Indebtedness to the Greek Character-Sketch,' 
Hod. Lang. Notes, 1901, pp. 385-96. 
2 Jebb's trans., p. 89. 



Ixxii Introduction 

in attaining a certain necessary individuality in their 
typical characters. Despite the absence of specific 
evidences of indebtedness on the part of Jonson, the 
similarity of his general method makes his obligation 
sufficiently clear. 

V. TIMON 

Certain passages in Act i, scenes 3 and 4, of Cynthia's 
Revels exhibit striking parallels to passages in the old 
academic play Timon. This play, which owes its chief 
repute to the probable influence it had on Shakespeare's 
Timon of Athens, remained in manuscript till Dyce edited 
it for the Shakespeare Society in 1842; it is now also 
accessible in Hazlitt's Shakespeare's Library (vol. 6). 
Hart^ first called attention to the relationship existing 
between Cynthia's Revels and Timon, and Dr. BaskervilP 
has discussed the kinship of the two plays more at length, 
and printed a number of interesting parallels. Oddly 
enough, there seem to be no means of determining whether 
Cynthia's Revels is indebted to Timon, whether the re- 
verse is true, or whether, as Brooke has suggested, they 
have a common source.^ 

The meeting between Amorphus and Asotus, and the 
subsequent association of the two as teacher and pupil, 
fmd their counterpart in Timon in the meeting and 
resulting companionship of Pseudocheus, the ' lying trav- 
ailor,' and Gelasimus, the 'cittie heyre.' Gelasimus' 
sohloquy upon the loss of his betrothed, and Amorphus' 
remarks upon Echo's hasty departure, also exhibit a 
clear relationship. The comparison of a few passages will 
make apparent that an obligation rests on one author 
or the other, or on both. 

^ Whs. of Ben Jonson 1. xliv. 

2 Eng. Elements in Jonson's Early Comedy, pp. 268-72. 

3 Tudor Drama, p. 411, note. 



Sources 



Ixxiii 



Cyn. Rev. 

Asotus. And withall, you may 
tell him what my father was, and 
how well he left me, and that I 
am his heire. 1. 4. 69, 70. 



Timon. 

Oelasimus. Salute him in my 
name; h'st, thou may'st tell him, 
yf thou wilt, how rich my ffather 
was. 1. 4, p. 12. 



Asotus. O gods! I'de give aU 
the world (if I had it) for abun- 
dance of such acquaintance. 

I. 4. 74-5. 
Amorphus. Since I trode on 
this side the Alpes, I was not so 
frozen in my invention. 

1. 4. 79-80. 



Gelasimus. Good gods, how 
earnestUe doe I desire his ffeUow- 
shipp ! was I e're soe shamefac't ? 
1. 4, p. 12. 



Amorphus. Faine to have scene 
him in Venice, or Padua 1 or 
some face neere his in simiHtude ? 
't is too pointed, and open. 
1. 4. 86-8. 



Pseudocheus. What shall I saye ? 
I saw his face at Thebes or Sici- 
he? 1. 4, p. 12. 



Asotus {after they have exchanged 
huts). SUd, this is not worth a 
crowne, and mine cost mee eight 
but this morning. 1. 4. 179-80. 



Pseudocheus (after they have ex- 
changed rings). By Jove, my 
ringe is made of brasse, not 
gould. 1. 4, p. 15. 



Amorphus {after Echo has fled 
from him). I am a Rhinoceros, 
if I had thought a creature of 
her symmetry, could have dar'd 
so improportionable, and abrupt 
a digression. . . . What should I 
inferre ? If my behaviours had 
beene of a cheape or customarie 
garbe; my accent, or phrase 
vulgar, my garments trite; my 
countenance ilUterate; . . . then 
I might . . . have suspected my 
faculties: but (knowing my selfe 
an essence so subhmated, etc. 
1. 3. 17 ff. 



Oelasimus {after Callimela has 
rejected him). Soe the gods love 
mee, I doe nothing see that this 
fonde fooKshe girle can blame in 
mee: I am not redde hair'd, and 
I am noe dwarf e; what, then, can 
shee dislike ? are my palmes dry ? 
Am I not a gentleman by de- 
scent ? Am I not riche enough ? 
. . . Am I a foole ? my braines 
howere they are, I knowe them 
well; I am noe foole or asse. 
3. 3, p. 49. 



Ixxiv Introduction 

If we do not accept the theory of a common source, the 
chances seem about evenly balanced as to whether Jonson 
or the author of Timon was the imitator. Dyce supposes 
Timon to have been ' written or transcribed about the year 
1600/ but this is, of course, a mere conjecture, and cannot 
aid us in determining whether or not it was prior to Cyn- 
thia'sRevels. Its style suggests a somewhat earlier date ; and 
the fact that it is apparently an academic play, and was 
not printed, does not seem to have precluded Shakespeare 
from a knowledge of it,^ so that it is conceivable that 
Jonson also knew of it. Indeed, one writer^ is inclined, 
by the nature of the play itself, to believe 'that it was 
written for presentation in London.' On the other hand, 
the fact that Jonson never, so far as we know, made such 
extensive direct borrowings from any piece of contempor- 
ary literature leads one to doubt whether he would have 
done so in this case, thereby exposing himself to just 
charges of plagiarism at a time when he realized that his 
enemies were particularly active. 



F. Criticisms 

Gifford {Wks. 2. 361— 2) : The characters are well drawn, 
and well supported; and the influence of the Fountain 
of Self-love upon their natural vanity is pleasantly 
described : but they have little bearing upon one another ; 
while the plot of the drama is so finely spun that no eye 
perhaps but Jonson's has ever been able to trace it. The 
gradual decline of interest from Every Man in his Humour 



^ Wright, Authorship of Timon of Athens, pp. 17-22. 
2 J. Q. Adams, 'The Timon Plays,' Journal of Eng. and Germ. 
Phil., Oct., 1910, p. 511. 



Criticisms Ixxv 

to the present play, is as striking as it is mortifying, 
especially as the author appears to have spared no pains, 
and even to have exhibited more neatness of style, and 
perhaps more force of expression. . . . The fulsome 
compliments paid to the "obdurate" virgin of threescore 
and ten, the hoary-headed Cynthia of Whitehall, must 
have appeared infinitely ridiculous, if the frequency of 
the practice had not utterly taken away the sense of 
derision. Yet Jonson must not be without his peculiar 
praise. The language of the time was grossly adulatory; 
and from Spenser to the meanest scribbler, our poet was 
almost the only one who interspersed salutary counsels 
among his flatteries. 

Ward {Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit. 2. 353—5) : While the 
intention of the play is obvious — viz., an appeal from 
the bad taste in fashion to the sovereign authority of 
good taste and to the judgment of an unprejudiced 
audience — the dramatic execution of the design is, 
to say the least, perplexingly elaborate and intolerably 
lengthy. The plot, such as it is, lies buried beneath the 
characters, while the characters are buried beneath the 
dialogue, which in its turn largely consists of speeches of 
interminable length. It is equally difficult to understand 
how, as seems to have been the case, the audience should 
have borne with satisfaction so portentous a tax upon 
their attention, and how the Children of the Chapel, who 
performed the play, should have been able to get their 
parts by heart. The comedy begins briskly enough with 
an Induction of great vivacity and humour, contrived 
between the children-actors in their own characters ; and 
the first act, which prepares what plot there is to be 
found in the play, moves with comparative rapidity. The 
resurrection of Echo, indeed, although it cannot be sup- 
posed to have been introduced with the intention of 



Ixxvi Introduction 

satirising the frequent use of this mythological figure, 
has no real connexion with the action. Asotus and 
Amorphus, who are introduced in this act, remind us 
of Master Stephen and Bobadil; and are by far the best 
characters in the play. The second act, however, instead 
of making any real progress in the plot, adds a large 
number of new characters which are described rather than 
worked into the texture of the play; and as it drags its 
slow length along, it becomes little more than a picture 
of manners, so elaborately exaggerated that, though full 
of humorous touches, it cannot be described as anything 
but a caricature. Thus in this curious play Jonson 
allowed the theory of comedy which he had conceived, 
and which he here repeats, to carry him into an extreme 
not less objectionable than its opposite, with which he 
found fault. In other words, Cynthia's Rev eh may be 
more truly designated a 'comical satire' on the vagaries 
of preposterous tastes than even a comedy of manners, 
while it cannot take rank as a comedy of character. 

Swinburne [A Study of Ben Jonson, pp. 19—21) : That 
any audience should have sat out the five undramatic 
acts of this 'dramatic satire' is as inconceivable as that 
any reader, however exasperated and exhausted by its 
voluminous perversities, should fail to do justice to its 
literary merits; to the vigour and purity of its English, 
to the masculine refinement and the classic straight- 
forwardness of its general style. There is an exquisite 
song in it, and there are passages — nay, there are scenes 
— of excellent prose: but the intolerable elaboration 
of pretentious dullness and ostentatious ineptitude for 
which the author claims not merely the tolerance or the 
condonation which gratitude or charity might accord to 
the misuse or abuse of genius, but the acclamation due 
to its exercise and the applause demanded by its triumph 



Criticisms Ixxvii 

— the heavy-headed perversity which ignores all the 
duties and reclaims all the privileges of a dramatic poet 
— the Cyclopean ponderosity of perseverance which ham- 
mers through scene after scene at the task of ridicule 
by anatomy of tedious and preposterous futilities — all 
these too conscientious outrages offered to the very prin- 
ciple of comedy, of poetry, or of drama, make us wonder 
that we have no record of a retort from the exhausted 
audience — if haply there were any auditors left — to the 
dogged defiance of the epilogue: — 

By God 'tis good, and if you like 't you may. 

— By God 'tis bad, and worse than tongue can say. 

For the most noticeable point in this studiously wayward 
and laboriously erratic design is that the principle of 
composition is as conspicuous by its absence as the breath 
of inspiration: that the artist, the scholar, the disciple, 
the student of classic models, is as undiscoverable as the 
spontaneous humorist or poet. The wildest, the roughest, 
the crudest offspring of literary impulse working blindly 
on the passionate elements of excitable ignorance was 
never more formless, more incoherent, more defective in 
structure, than this voluminous abortion of deliberate 
intelligence and conscientious culture. 

Castelain {Ben Jonson, p. 267) : Je defie I'homme 
le plus indulgent d'y decouvrir meme un semblant 
d'action : I'auteur seul a pu se payer d'une illusion pareille. 
Les personnages sont exactement a la fin du cinquieme 
acte ce qu'ils etaient au debut du premier; I'eau de la 
Fontaine d' Amour-propre n'a pas sur eux d'effet appre- 
ciable, et si, comme on nous le fait esperer, la source 
d'Helicon doit avoir quelque vertu salutaire, c'est apres 
TEpilogue et le rideau baisse. A y bien regarder pourtant, 
c'est peut-etre le masque du cinquieme acte qui forme 



Ixxviii Introduction 

le noeud de la piece; c'est lui qui amcne Cynthia sur le 
theatre, venge Crites des insultes des sots et demasque 
I'indignite des courtisans ridicules. La piece serait done 
un masque, precede d'un prologue; mais le masque a 
cinq pages et le prologue une cinquantaine, et Ton y voit 
se derouler toute la joumee de chacun des personnages 
que les fetes du soir doivent reunir. Cette etrange con- 
struction laisse a desirer. 



CYNTHIAS 
REVELS 

OR 

The Fountayne of selfe-Loue 
TEXT 



EDITOR'S NOTE 

My text is that of the edition of 1616. A copy found 
in the Yale University Library forms the basis, certain 
less corrected sheets having been replaced by sheets from 
other impressions which show a higher state of correction ; 
a full discussion of the method employed in the pre- 
paration of the text is found in the Introduction, under 
Remarks on the Variations in the Impressions of the 
Folio, pages xii— xvii. The folio variants, and a few typo- 
graphical errors which have been corrected, are recorded 
in the textual notes printed after the text. The foot- 
notes to the text include variants of a more important 
nature : all quarto differences in form ; readings from later 
editions which may be viewed as emendations; and a few 
other suggestive changes, as well as the more important 
stage-directions added by Gifford. My procedure in 
recording only a very few readings from later editions 
is explained in the Introduction, under Subsequent 
Editions, pages xvii ff. 

Q — Quarto, 1601 

1640 — Second Folio, 1640 

i6g2 — Third Folio, 1692 

iyi6 = Booksellers' edition of 1716 

W = Whalley's edition of 1756 

G = Gifford 's edition of 18 16 



A2 



THE 

FOVNTAINE 

OP SELFBLOVE. 

Or 

C YNTHI AS 

REVELS. 

As It hath beenc fundry times 

priuatelj aUed in the Black- 
Friers hy the Children 
cfhfr MaiefUes 
Chdpp£U, 

Written by B b n: Io h n s o k . 

Quod non dant Pioceres^ dabit Hi/bio* 
Haud taxnen inuideas vatl>quem pulplcrpaftunt. 



Imprinted at London for Wdur Burre^mA arc to be 
joldcAt hfsjhop inPaulesChurcLjard^at thepgns 
of the Flower de-LQcc and CrQwnCt 1 6ou 

Quarto Title-page. 




YNTHIAS 

REVELS, 

O R 

TheFouncayne of felfe-Loue. 

A Comicall Satjrt^. 



Adled, in the yeere itf oo. By the then 
Children of Queene Elizabeths 

C H A P P S I. 

The Author B. I. 
Mart. 

Nifutum vda , nolo ffflj/ffifim. 



L O N D O N^ 

Primed by William Stansby. 

U, DC, XVI. 



TOTHESPECIALL 

FOVNTAINE OF 

MANNERS: 
The Court. 



[179] 




Hou art a bountifully and braue 
spring : and water est all the no- 
ble plants of this Hand. Jn tliee^ 
the whole Ki?jgdome dresseth it 
selfe^ and is ambitious to vse thee 
as her glasse. Beware, then, 
thou render mens figures truly, 
and teach them ?70 lesse to hate their deformities, then to 
loue their formes: For, to grace, there should come reuer- 
ence ; and no man can call that louely, which is not also 
venerable. Jt is not pouUf ring, perfuming, and euery day 
smelling of the taylor, that conuerteth to a beautiful obiect: 
but a mind, shining through any sute, which needes no false 
light either of riches, or honors to helpe it. Such shalt thou 
find some here, euen in the raigne o/' C y n t h i a {a 
C R I T E s , and <^;? A r e t e.) Now, vnder thy P h CE b v s , 
It will be thy prouince to make more : Except thou de sir est 
to haue thy source mixe with the Spring o/"selfe-Loue, 
and so wilt draw vpon thee as welcome a discouery of thy 
dayes, as was then made of her nights. 

Thy seruant, but not slaue, 

Ben. Ionson. 



IS 



[180] 



The Persons of the Play. 



Cynthia. 


Mercvry. 




CVPID 


Hespervs, 




Echo. 


Crites. 




Arete. 


Amorphvs. 




Phantaste. 


ASOTVS. 




Argvrion. 


Hedon. 




Philavtia. 


Anaides. 






MORPHIDES. 




MORIA. 


Prosaites. 




Cos. 


MORVS. 




Gelaia. 


Phronesis. 




Thavma. 


■ Mutes. 


Time. 





THE SCENE. 



GARGAPHIE. 



The number and names of the Actors Q The characters are 
numbered in Q Crites] Criticus (so also in all subsequent 

cases.) Q Morphides] am. Q THE SCENE. GARGAPHIE. 
om. Q 




[181] 



CYNTHIAS REVELS. 

After the second sounding. 

1 N D V C T I N. 

By Three Of The Children. 

Ray you away ; why fellowes ? 
Gods so ? what doe you meane ? 

2. Mary that you shall not 
speake the 'Prologue, sh-. 

3. Why? doe you hope to 
speake it ? 

2. I, and I thinke I haue 
most right to it: I am sure I 
studied it first. 
3. That's all one, if the Authour thinke I can speake 
it better. 

I. I pleade possession of the cloake: Gentles, your 
suffrages I pray you. 

C Why Children, are you not asham'd ? come in there. 
3. Slid, rie play nothing i' the Play : vnlesse I speake it. 
I. Why, will you stand to most voices of the gentle- 
men ? let that decide it. 




Within. 
15 



CYNTHIAS . . . sounding.] om. Q Q reads: AD LECTOREM 
Nasutum volo, nolo polyposum. INDVCTION.] Prseludium. Q 

By Three] Enter three Q The Stage. Enter three of the 

Children struggling. 1 Pray] 1. Pray Q fellowes] 

Children Q 13 I pray you] for Gods sake Q 14 CE] om. Q 



12 Cynthias Revels [ind. 

3. O no, sir gallant; you presume to haue the start of 
vs there, and that makes you offer so prodigally. 
20 I. No, would I were whipt, if I had any such thought : 
trie it by lots either. 

2. Faith, I dare tempt my fortune in a greater venter 
then this. 

3. Well said, resolute lacke, I am content too: so wee 
25 draw first. Make the cuts. 

1. But will you not snatch my cloake, while I am 
stooping ? 

3. No, we scorne treacherie. 

2. Which cut shall speake it? 
30 3. The shortest. 

1. Agreed. Draw. The shortest is come to the 
[182] shortest. Fortune was not altogether blind in this. Now, 

sir, I hope I shall goe forward without your enuie. 

2. A spite of all mischieuous lucke! I was once 
35 plucking at the other. 

3. Stay, lacke: Shd, I'le doe somewhat now afore 
I goe in, though it be nothing but to reuenge my selfe 
on the Authour : since I speake not his Prologue. He goe 
tell all the argument of his play aforehand, and so stale 

40 his inuention to the auditorie before it come forth. 

At the breaches I. O, doC not SO. 

m this speech ^ By uo mcancs. 

foUoivifii; the , .,.,., ■ r^ -n, 1 

other two inter- 3- First, the title of his play is Cynthias Reuels, 

rupthim. still, g^g j^jjy j^^j^ (that hath hope to bee saued by his booke) 

45 can witnesse; the Scene, Gargaphie: which I doe 

vehemently suspect for some fustian countrie, but let 

that vanish. Here, is the court of Cynthia, whither 

hee brings Cvpid (trauailing on foot) resolu'd to tume 

19 prodigally] bountifully Q 31 draw, [they draw cuts.] G 

33 sir] Children Q 38 on] 0/ Q 43 {margin) interrupt him, 

still] Boyes interrupt him Q 43 3 Child [Advancing to the 

front of the Stage.] Q 45 GARGAPHIA Q 



IND.] Cynthias Revels 13 

page. By the way, Cvpid meetes with Mercvrie, (as 
that's a thing to be noted, take anie of our play-bookes 50 
without a Cvpid, or a Mercvry in it, and bume it for 

an heretique in Poetrie) Pray thee let me alone. 

Mercvry, he (in the nature of a conjurer) raises vp 
EccHO, who weepes ouer her loue, or Daffodill, Nar- 
cissvs, a little; sings; curses the spring wherein the ss 
prettie foolish gentleman melted himself e away : and ther's 

an end of her. Now I am to informe you, that 

Cvpid, and Mercvry doe both become pages. Cvpid 
attends on Philavtia, or selfe-Loue, a court -ladie: 
Mercvry f oUowes H e d o n , ihevoluptuous, and a court- 6° 
ier; one that rankes himself e euen with An aides, or the 
impudent, 3. gallant, (and that's my part:) one that keepes 
laughter, Gelaia the daughter of folly, (a wench in 

boyes attire) to waite on him— These, in the court, 

meet with Amorphvs, or the deformed; a trauailer that ss 
hath drunke of the fountaine, and there tels the wonders 
of the water. They presently dispatch away their pages 
with bottles to fetch of it, and themselues goe to visite 

the ladies. But I should haue told you (Looke, 

these emets put me out here) that with this Amorphvs, 70 
there comes along a citizens heire. As otvs, or the prod- 
igall, who (in imitation of the traueller, who hath the 
whetstone following him) entertaines the begger, to be his 

attendant. Now, the Nymphs who are mistresses 

to these gallants, are Philavtia, selfe-Loue; Phan- 75 
THASTE, a light wittinesse; Argvrion monie; and their 
Guardian, mother Mori a; or mistresse folly. 

I. Pray thee no more. 

3. There Cvpid strikes monie in loue with iheprod- 

60 voluptuous, and a] voluptuous Q 62 impudent, a] 

impudent Q 62 one] a Felloiv Q 63 *Folly {margin: *Moria) Q 
72 who] that Q 73 * Whetstone [margin: *Cos) . . . *Begger 

{margin: *Prosaites) Q 78 1. Pray] 2. Pray Q 



14 Cynthias Revels [ind. 

8° igall, makes her dote vpon him, giue him iewels, brace- 
lets, carkenets, &c. all which (hee most ingeniously de- 
parts withall) to be made knowne to the other ladies and 
gallants ; and in the heat of this, increases his traine with 
the foole to follow him, aswell as the begger. By this 

85 time, your begger begins to waite close, who is return'd 

with the rest of his fellow bottlemen. There they 

all drinke, saue Argvrion, who is falne into a sodaine 

apoplexie . ■ 

[183] I. Stop his mouth. 

90 3. And then, there's a retired scholler there, you 
would not wish a thing to be better contemn'd of a 
societie of gallants, then it is: and hee applies his seruice 
(good gentleman) to the ladie Arete, or vevtue, a poore 
Nymph of Cynthias traine, that's scarce able to buy 

95 her selfe a gowne, you shall see her play in a blacke robe 
anon: A creature, that (I assure you) is no lesse scorn'd, 
then himselfe. Where am I now ? at a stand ? 

2. Come, leaue at last, yet. 

3. O, the night is come, (t'was somewhat darke, mee 
100 thought) and Cynthia intends to come forth: (That 

helps it a httle yet.) All the courtiers must prouide for 
reuels ; they conclude vpon a Masque, the deuice of which, 

is (what, will you rauish mee?) that each of these 

vices, being to appeare before Cynthia, would seeme 

105 other then indeed they are: and therefore assume the 

most neighbouring vertues as their masking habites. 

(I'lde crie, a rape, but that you are children.) 

2. Come, wee'le haue no more of this anticipation: to 
giue them the inuentorie of their cates aforehand, were 

110 the discipline of a tauerne, and not fitting this presence. 

I. Tut, this was but to shew vs the happinesse of his 

memorie. I thought at first, he would haue plaid the 

84 *Foole {margin: *Morus) Q 90 *Scholler {margin: 

*Criticus) Q 



IND.] Cynthias Revels 15 

ignorant critique with euerie thing, along as he had gone, 
I expected some such deuice. 

3. O, you shall see me doe that, rarely, lend me thy "s 
cloake. 

1. Soft, sir, you'le speake my Prologue in it. 
3. No, would I might neuer stirre then. 

2. Lend it him, lend it him. 

I. Well, you haue sworne. ^^° 

3. I haue. Now, sir, suppose I am one of your gentile 
auditors, that am come in (hauing paid my monie at the 
doore, with much adoe) and here I take my place, and sit 
downe ; I haue my three sorts of tabacco in my pocket, my 
light by me, and thus I beginne. By this light, I wonder ^^s 
that any man is so mad, to come to see these rascally Tits 

play here They doe act like so manie wrens, or pis- At the breaches 

mires not the fift part of a good face amongst them ^^^^^^'^''•' ^'^ ^''" 

all And then their musicke is abominable — able 

to stretch a mans eares worse then tenne pillories, »3o 

and their ditties most lamentable things, like the 

pittifull fellowes that make them Poets. By this 

vapour, and 'twere not for tabacco 1 thinke 

the verie stench of 'hem would poison mee, I should not 

dare to come in at their gates A man were better '3s 

visit fifteene jailes, or a dozen or two of hospitals 

then once aduenture to come neere them. How is't ? 

Well? 

I. Excellent: giue mee my cloake. 

3. Stay; you shall see me doe another now: but a ^40 
more sober, or better-gather'd gallant ; that is (as it may 
bee thought) some friend, or wel- wisher to the house : And 
here I enter. 

T. What? vpon the stage, too? [184] 

120 [Gives him the cloak. O 125 this hght] Oods so Q 

127 {margin) At . . . tabacco.] om. Q 132 this vapour] Gods 

lid Q 



i6 Cynthias Revels indJ 

M5 2. Yes: and I step forth like one of the children, and 
aske you, Would you haue a stoole, sir? 
3. A stoole, boy? 

2. I, sir, if youle giue me six pence. He fetch you one. 

3, For what I pray thee? what shall I doe with it? 
150 2. O lord, sir ! will youbetraie your ignorance so much ? 

why throne your selfe in state on the stage, as other gentle- 
men vse, sir. 

3. Away, wagge; what, would'st thou make an imple- 
ment of me ? Slid the boy takes me for a piece of per- 
^55 spectiue (I hold my life) or some silke cortaine, come to 
hang the stage here! sir cracke, I am none of your fresh 
pictures, that vse to beautifie the decaied dead arras, in a 
publike theatre. 

2. Tis a signe, sir, you put not that confidence in your 
^6° good clothes, and your better face, that a gentleman 

should doe, sir. But I pray you sir, let mee bee a suter to 
you, that you will quit our stage then, and take a place, 
the play is instantly to beginne. 

3. Most willingly, my good wag: but I would speake 
'6s with your Authour, where's he ? 

2. Not this way, I assure you, sir: wee are not so 
officiously befriended by him, as to haue his presence in 
the tiring-house, to prompt vs aloud, stampe at the 
booke-holder, sweare for our properties, curse the poore 

'70 tire-man, raile the musicke out of tune, and sweat for 
euerie veniall trespasse we commit, as some Authour 
would, if he had such fine engles as we. Well, tis but our 
hard fortune. 

3. Nay, cracke, be not dis-heartned. 

'75 2. Not I, sir; but if you please to conferre with our 
Author, by atturney, you may, sir : our proper selfe here, 
stands for him. 

146 a stoole] Stoole Q 150 lord] God Q 



IND.] Cynthias Revels 17 

3. Troth, I haue no such serious affaire to negotiate 
with him, but what may verie safely bee turn'd vpon thy 
trust. It is in the generall behalf e of this faire societie ^8° 
here, that I am to speake, at least the more iudicious part 
of it, which seemes much distasted with the immodest and 
obscene writing of manie, in their playes. Besides, they 
could wish, your Poets would leaue to bee promoters of 
other mens iests, and to way-lay all the stale apothegmes, 185 
or olde bookes, they can heare of (in print, or otherwise) 
to farce their Scenes withall. That they would not so 
penuricusly gleane wit, from euerie laundresse, or hack- 
ney-man, or deriue their best grace (with seruile imitation) 
from common stages, or obseruation of the companie they 19° 
conuerse with; as if their inuention liu'd wholy vpon ano- 
ther mans trencher. Againe, that feeding their friends 
with nothing of their owne, but what they haue twice or 
thrice cook'd, they should not wantonly giue out, how 
soone they had drest it ; nor how manie coaches came to 195 
Carrie away the broken-meat, besides hobbie-horses, and 
foot-cloth nags. 

2. So, sir, this is all the reformation you seeke? 

3. It is: doe not you thinke it necessarie to be prac- [185] 
tiz'd, my little wag? =00 

2. Yes, where any such ill-habited custome is receiu'd. 

3. O (I had almost forgot it too) they say, the vmbrce, 
or ghosts of some three or foure playes, departed a dozen 
yeeres since, haue bin scene walking on your stage heere : 
take heed, boy, if your house bee haunted with such hob- -°s 
goblins, t'will fright away all your spectators quickly. 

2. Good, sir, but what will you say now, if a Poet 
(vntoucht with any breath of this disease) find the tokens 
vpon you, that are of the auditorie ? As some one ciuet- 
wit among you, that knowes no other learning, then the 210 

201 where] where there is Q is] om. Q 208 the] Gods Q 

B 



i8 Cynthias Revels [prol. 

price of satten and vellets ; nor other perfection, then the 
wearing of a neat sute ; and yet will censure as desperately 
as the most profess'd critique m the house : presuming, his 
clothes should beare him out in't. Another (whom it 

215 hath pleas'd nature to furnish with more beard, then 
braine) prunes his mustaccio, lisps, and (with some score 
of affected othes) sweares downe all that sit about him; 
That the old Hieronimo, (as it was first acted) was the onely 
best, and iudiciously pend play of Europe. A third great- 

220 bellied juggler talkes of twentie yeeres since, and when 
MoNSiEVR was heere, and would enforce all wits to bee 
of that fashion, because his doublet is still so. A fourth 
miscals all by the name of fustian, that his grounded 
capacitie cannot aspire to. A fift, only shakes his bottle- 

22s head, and out of his corkie braine, squeezeth out a pittiful- 
learned face, and is silent. 

3. By my faith, lacke, you haue put mee downe: 
I would I knew how to get off with any indifferent grace. 
Heere, take your cloke, and promise some satisfaction in 

230 your Prologue, or (I'le be swome) wee haue marr'd all. 
2. Tut, feare not, child, this wil neuer distaste a true 
sense : Be not out, and good enough. I would thou hadst 
some sugar-candied, to sweeten thy mouth. 



T/ie third sounding. 

PROLOG VE. 

IF gracious silence, sweet attention, 
Quicke sight, and quicker apprehension, 
(The lights of iudgements throne) shine any where; 
Our doubtfull authour hopes this is their sphere. 
5 And therefore opens he himself e to those; 

221 Witte Q 230 Exit. Q 231 child] SaU Q 233 Exit. Q 

The ... PEOLOOVE.] Prologus. Q 



sc. i] Cynthias Revels 19 

To other weaker beames, his labours close: 

As loth to prostitute their virgin straine, 

To eu'rie vulgar, and adult'rate braine. 

In this alone, his Mvse her sweetnesse hath, 

Shee shunnes the print of any beaten p^th; " 

And proues new wayes to come to learned eares: 

Pied ignorance she neither loues, nor feares. 

Nor hunts she after popular applause, [186] 

Or fomie praise, that drops from common iawes: 

The garland that she weares, their hands must twine, 's 

Who can both censure, vnderstand, define 

What merit is: Then cast those piercing raies. 

Round as a crowne, in stead of honour'd bayes, 

About his poesie; which (he knowes) affoords 

Words, aboue action: matter, aboue words. »" 



vv 



Acf I. Scene i. 
CvpiD, Mercvrie. 
Ho goes there? 



Mer. Tis I, blind archer. 

Cvp. Who? Mercvrie? 

Mer. I. 

Cvp. Farewell. 5 

Mer. Stay, Cvpid. 

Cvp. Not in your companie, Hermes, except your 
hands were riuetted at your backe. 

Mer. Why so, my little rouer? 

Cvp. Because I know, you ha' not a finger, but is as 10 
long as my quiuer (cousin Mercvrie) when you please 
to extend it. 

Mer. Whence deriue you this speech, boy? 

20 Exit. Q Actus Primus, Scena prima. Q A Grove and Fountain. 
Enter Copid, and Mebcdry with his cadiLceus, on different sides. O 

B2 



20 Cynthias Revels [act i 

Cvp. O! tis your best politic to be ignorant. You did 

^5 neuer steale Mars his sword out of the sheath, you? nor 
Neptvnes trident? nor Apolloes bow? no, not you? 
Alas, your palmes (Ivpiter knowes) they are as tender 
as the foot of a foundred nagge, or a ladies face new 
mercuried, the'ile touch nothing. 

2° Mer. Goe too (infant) you'le be daring still. 

Cvp. Daring? O Ianvs! what a word is there? why, 
my light fether-heel'd couss', what are you? any more 
then my vncle Ioves pandar, a lacquey, that runnes on 
errands for him, and can whisper a light message to a 

25 loose wench with some round volubilitie, wait mannerly at 
a table with a trencher, and warble vpon a crowde a little, 
fill out nectar, when Ganimed's away, one that sweeps the 
Gods drinking roome euery morning, and sets the cushions 
in order againe, which they threw one at anothers head 

3° ouer-night, can brush the carpets, call the stooles againe 
to their places, play the cryer of the court with an audible 
voice, and take state of a President vpon you at wrestlings, 
pleadings, negotiations, &c. Here's the catalogue o'your 
imploiments now. O no, I erre, you haue the marshalling 

35 of all the ghosts too, that passe the stygian ferrie, and I 

suspect you for a share with the old sculler there, if the 

[187] truth were known ; but let that scape. One other peculiar 

vertue you possesse, in lifting, or lieger-du-maine, (which 

few of the house of heau'n haue else besides) I must con- 

4° fesse. But (mee thinkes) that should not make you put 
that extreme distance twixt your selfe and others, that 
we should be said to ouerdare in speaking to your nimble 
deitie} So Hercvles might challenge prioritie of vs 
both, because he can throw the barre farther, or lift more 

14 policie Q 25 mannerly] om. Q 26 and warble] 

warble G 27 fiU . . . away] om. Q fiU] and fill G 30-33 can 

. . . &c. om. Q 33 o' ] of all Q 40 put that] set such an Q 
43 a priority Q 



sc. i] Cynthias Revels 21 

ioyn'd stooles at the aniies end, then we. If this might 45 
carry it, then wee who haue made the whole bodie of 
dimnitie tremble at the twang of our bow, and enforc'd 
Satvrnivs himselfe to lay by his curl'd front, thunder, 
and three-fork'd fires, and put on a masking sute, too 
light for a reueller of eighteene, to be seene in 50 

Mer. How now! my dancing braggart in decimo- 
sexto \ charme your skipping tongue, or I'le 

Cvp. What? vse the vertue of your snakie tip-staffe 
there vpon vs? 

Mer. No, boy, but the smart vigor of my palme about 55 
your eares. You haue forgot since I tooke your heeles 
vp into aire (on the very houre I was borne) in sight of 
all the bench of deities, when the siluer roofe of the Olym- 
pian palace rung againe with applause of the fact. 

Cvp. O no, I remember it freshly, and by a particular 6° 
instance; for my mother Venvs (at the same time) but 
stoopt to imbrace you, and (to speake by metaphore) you 
borrowed a girdle of hers, as you did Ioves scepter (while 
hee was laughing) and would haue done his thunder too, 
but that 'twas too hot for your itching fingers. ^s 

Mer. Tis well, sir. 

Cvp. I heard, you but look't inatVuLCANS forge the 
other day, and intreated a paire of his new tongs along 
with you, for companie: Tis ioy on you (yfaith) that you 
will keepe your hook'd tallons in practice with any thing. 7° 
S'light, now you are on earth, wee shall haue you filch 
spoones and candle-sticks, rather then faile: pray Iove 
the perfum'd courtiers keepe their casting-bottles, pick- 
toothes, and shittle-cocks from you; or our more ordi- 
narie gallants their tabacco-boxes, for I am strangely 75 
iealous of your nailes. 

Mer, Ne're trust me, Cvpid, but you are turn'd a 

55 stretcht vigor of mine arme Q 59 with the Q 



22 Cynthias Revels [act i 

most acute gallant of late, the edge of my wit is cleere 
taken off with the fine and subtile stroke of your thin- 
80 ground tongue, you fight with too poinant a phrase, for 
me to deale with. 

Cvp. O Hermes, your craft cannot make me confi- 
dent. I know my owne Steele to bee almost spent, and 
therefore intreate my peace with you, in time : you are too 
8s cunning for mee to incounter at length, and I thinke it my 
safest ward to close. 

M E R. Well, for once, I'le suffer you to winne vpon mee, 

wagge, but vse not these straines too often, they'le stretch 

my patience. Whither might you march, now? 

90 Cvp. Faith (to recouer thy good thoughts) I'le dis- 

couer my whole proiect. The Huntresse, and Queene of 

[188] these groues, Diana (in regard of some black and enuious 

slanders hourely breath'd against her, for her diuine 

iustice on Acteon, as shee pretends) hath here in the 

95 vale of Gargaphy, proclaim'd a solemne reuells, which (her 

god-head put off) shee will descend to grace, with the 

full and royall expence of one of her cleerest moones: In 

which time, it shall bee lawfull for all sorts of ingenuous 

persons, to visit her palace, to court her Nymphes, to 

»°^ exercise all varietie of generous and noble pastimes, as 

well to intimate how farre shee treads such malicious 

imputations beneath her, as also to shew how cleere her 

beauties are from the least wrinckle of austerity, they may 

be charg'd with. 

i°5 Mer. But, what is all this to Cvpid? 

Cvp. Here doe I meane to put off the title of a god, 

and take the habite of a page, in which disguise (during 

the interim of these reuells) I will get to follow some one of 

DiANAES maides, where (if my bow hold, and my shafts 

"° flie but with halfe the willingnesse, and aime they are 

78 cleere] clean G 87 winne vpon] come within Q 

95-6 (her . . . off)] om. Q 96 descend to] om. Q 



sc. ii] Cynthias Revels 23 

directed) I doubt not, but I shall really redeeme the min- 
utes I haue lost, by their so long and ouer-nice pro- 
scription of my deitie, from their court. 

Mer. Pursue it (diuine Cvpid) it will be rare. 

Cvp. But will Hermes second me? ^'s 

Mer. I am now to put in act, an especiall designement 
from my father Iove, but that perform'd, I am for any 
fresh action that offers it selfe. 

Cvp. Well, then we part. 

Mer. Farewell, good wag. "° 

Now, to my charge, Eccho, faire Eccho, speake, 
Tis Mercvrie, that calls thee, sorrowfuU Nymph, 
Salute me with thy repercussiue voice. 
That I may know what cauerne of the earth 
Containes thy ayrie spirit, how, or where "s 

I may direct my speech, that thou maist heare. 



Act I . Sce/ie II. 

Eccho, Mercvrie. 

HEre. 
Mer. So nigh? 

Ecc. I. 

Mer. Know (gentle soule) then, I am sent from Iove, 
Who (pittying the sad burthen of thy woes. 
Still growing on thee, in thy want of wordes, 
To vent thy passion for Narcissvs death) 
Commands, that now (after three thousand yeeres. 
Which haue beene exercis'd in Ivnoes spight) 
Thou take a corporall figure, and ascend, 
Enricht with vocall, and articulate power. 
Make haste, sad Nymph, thrice shall my winged rod 

119 Exit. Q SCENA. 2. Q Act... Mercvrie.] om. 

1 Echo. Q Echo [below] G 12 shaU] doth Q 



24 Cynthias Revels [act i 

Strike th'obsequious earth, to giue thee way. 
[189] Arise, and speake thy sorrowes, EcCHO, rise, 

'5 Here, by this fountayne, where thy loue did pine, 
Whose memorie hues fresh to vulgar fame, 
Shrin'd in this yellow flowre, that beares his name. 

Ecc. His name reuiues, and lifts me vp from earth. 
O, which way shall I first conuert my selfe? 

2° Or in what moode shall I assay to speake. 
That (in a moment) I may be deliuered 
Of the prodigious griefe I goe withall? 
See, see, the mourning fount, whose springs weepe yet, 
Th'vntimely fate of that too beauteous boy, 

25 That trophaee of selfe-loue, and spoile of nature, 
Who (now transform'd into this drouping flowre) 
Hangs the repentant head, back from the streame, 
As if it wish'd, would I had neuer look'd 
In such a flattering mirrour. O Narcissvs, 

3° Thou that wast once (and yet art) my Narcissvs; 
Had EccHO but beene priuate with thy thoughts, 
Shee would haue dropt away her selfe in teares. 
Till shee had all turn'd water, that in her, 
(As in a truer glasse) thou mightst haue gaz'd, 

35 And seene thy beauties by more kind reflection: 
But selfe-loue neuer yet could looke on truth, 
But with bleard beames; slieke flatterie and shee 
Are twin-borne sisters, and so mixe their eyes. 
As if you seuer one, the other dies. 

4° Why did the gods giue thee a heau'nly forme, 
And earthy thoughts, to make thee proud of it ? 
Why, doe I aske? Tis now the knowne disease 
That beautie hath, to beare too deepe a sense 
Of her owne selfe-conceiued excellence. 

45 O, hadst thou knowne the worth of heau'ns rich gift, 

18 Ascendit Q 23 spring weepes Q 



sc. ii] Cynthias Revels 25 

Thou wouldst haue turn'd it to a truer vse, 

And not (with staru'd, and couetous ignorance) 

Pin'd in continuall eying that bright gem, 

The glance whereof to others had beene more, 

Then to thy famisht mind the wide worlds store: 50 

" So wretched is it to be meerely rich. 

Witnesse thy youths deare sweets, here spent vntasted. 

Like a faire taper, with his owne flame wasted. 

Mer. Eccho, be briefe, Satvrnia is abroad, 
And if shee heare, sheele storme at Ioves high will. 55 

Ecc. I will (kind Mercvrie) be briefe as time. 
Vouchsafe me, I may doe him these last rites. 
But kisse his flowre, and sing some mourning straine 
Ouer his watrie hearse. Mer. Thou dost obtaine. [190] 

I were no sonne to Iove, should I denie thee. ^o 

Begin, and (more to grace thy cunning voice) 
The humorous aire shall mixe her solemne tunes. 
With thy sad words: strike musicque from the spheares, 
And with your golden raptures swell our eares. 

Song. 

SLow, slow, fresh fount, keepe time with my salt tear es; 65 
Yet slower, yet, 6 faintly gentle springs: 
List to the heauy part the musique heares, 

"Woe weepes out her diuision, when shee sings. 
Droupe hearbs, and flowres; 

Fall grief e in showres; 70 

"Our beauties are not ours: 
0, I could still 
{Like melting snow vpon some craggie hill,) 

drop, drop, drop, drop, 
Since natures pride is, now, a wither'd daffodill. 75 

47 staru'd] leane Q Song.] Cant. Q Echo [accompanied.] G 



26 Cynthias Revels [act i 

Mer. Now, ha' you done? 

Ecc. Done presently (good Hermes) bide a little, 
Suffer my thirstie eye to gaze a while, 
But e'ene to taste the place, and I am vanisht. 
8° Mer. Forgoe thy vse, and libertie of tongue, 
And thou maist dwell on earth, and sport thee there. 

Ecc. Here yong Acteon fell, pursu'de, and torne 
By Cynthia's wrath (more eager, then his hounds) 
And here, (ay me, the place is fatall) see 
8s The weeping Niobe, translated hither 

From Phrygian mountaines: and by Phgebe rear'd 
As the proud trophaee of her sharpe reuenge. 
Mer. Nay, but heare. 

Ecc. But here, O here, the Fountayne of selfe-Loue, 
90 In which Latona, and her carelesse Nymphs, 
(Regardles of my sorrowes) bathe themselues 
In hourely pleasures. Mer. Stint thy babling tongue; 
Fond EccHO, thou prophan'st the grace is done thee: 
So idle worldlings (meerely made of voice) 
95 Censure the powers aboue them. Come, away, 

lovE calls thee hence, and his will brookes no stay. 

Ecc. O, stay: I haue but one poore thought to clothe 
In ayrie garments, and then (faith) I goe. 
Henceforth, thou trecherous, and murthering spring, 
100 Be euer call'd the Fountayne of selfe-Loue : 
And with thy water let this curse remaine, 
11911 (As an inseparate plague) that who but tastes 
A drop thereof, may, with the instant touch, 
Grow dotingly enamor'd on themselues. 
.05 Now, Hermes, I haue finisht. Mer. Then thy speech. 
Must here forsake thee, Ecc ho, and thy voice 
(As it was wont) rebound but the last wordes. 
Farewell. Ecc. Well. 

84 ay] ah G 102 taste G 108 Exit. Q 



sc. Ill] Cynthias Revels 27 

Mer. Now, Cvpid, I am for you, and your mirth, 
To make me light before I leaue the earth. 



Act I . Scene 1 1 i . 

Amorphvs, Eccho, Mercvrie. 

DEare sparke of beautie, make not so fast away. 
Ecc. Away. 

Mer. Stay, let me obserue this portent yet. 

A MO. I am neither your Minotaur e, nor your Centaurc, 
nor your Satyre, nor your Hycena, nor your Babion, but 
your mere trauailer, beleeue me. 

Ecc. Leaue me. 

Mer. I guess'd it should bee some trauailing motion 
pursude Eccho so. 

A MO. Know you from whom you flie? or whence? 

Ecc. Hence. 

A MO. This is somewhat aboue strange! a Nymph of 
her feature, and hneament, to be so preposterously rude ! 
well, I will but coole my self e at yon' spring, and follow her. 

Mer. Nay, then I am familiar with the issue: I'le 
leaue you too. 

A MO. I am a Rhinoceros, if I had thought a creature of 
her symmetry, could haue dar'd so improportionable, and 
abrupt a digression. Liberall, and diuine fount, suffer my 
prophane hand to take of thy bounties. By the puritie 
of my taste, here is most ambrosiacke water ; I will sup of 
it againe. By thy fauour, sweet fount. See, the water 
(a more running, subtile, and humorous Nymph then shee) 

109 Mer.] om. Q SCENA. 3 Q Act . . . Mekcvrie.] 

Enter Amorphds hastily. G 1 Amo. Q 11 Exit. Q 

16 Exit. Q 18 would Q 20 bounties, [takes up some 
of the water.] G 



28 Cynthias Revels [act i 

permits me to touch, and handle her. What should I 

■^5 inferre ? If my behauiours had beene of a cheape or cust- 
omarie garbe; my accent, or phrase vulgar; my garments 
trite; my countenance illiterate; or vnpractiz'd in the 
encounter of a beautifull and braue-attir'd peece; then 
I might (with some change of colour) haue suspected my 

3" faculties : but (knowing my selfe an essence so sublimated, 
and refin'd by trauell; of so studied, and well exercis'd 
a gesture ; so alone in fashion ; able to tender the face of any 
states-man lining; and to speake the mere extraction of 
language ; one that hath now made the sixth returne vpon 

35 venter; and was your first that euer enricht his countrey 

with the true lawes of the duello; whose optiques haue 

drunke the spirit of beautie, in some eight score and 

eighteen Princes courts, where I haue resided, and beene 

[192] there fortunate in the amours of three hundred for tie and 

4° fine ladies (all nobly, if not princely descended) whose 
names I haue in catalogue; to conclude, in all so happy, 
as euen admiration her selfe doth seeme to fasten her 
kisses vpon me: Certes, I doe neither see, nor feele, nor 
taste, nor sauour the least ste?me, or fume of a reason, 

4 5 that should inuite this foolish fastidious Nymph, so pee- 
uishly to abandon me. Well, let the memorie of her fleet 
into aire; my thoughts and I am for this other element, 
water. 

Acf I . Scene 1 1 1 1 . 
Crites, Asotvs, Amorphvs. 

Hat! the wel-dieted Amorphvs become a water- 
drinker ? I see he meanes not to write verses then . 
Aso. No, Crites? why? 



VV 



32 tender] make Q, render 1640— G 40 if not princely] 

om. Q SCENA. 4. Q Act . . . Amorphvs] Enter GmrKS 

and AsoTDS. G 1 Crit. Q 



sc. iiii] Cynthias Revels 29 

Cri. Because Nee placer e diu, nee viuere carmina 

possunt, qucB scrihuntur aqucB potorihus. 5 

Amo. What say you to your Helicon? 

Cri. O, the Mvses well! that's euer excepted. 

Amo. Sir, your Mvses haue no such water, I assure 
you ; your nectar, or the iuyce of your nepenthe is nothing 
to it; tis aboue your metheglin, beleeue it. 1° 

A s o. Metheglin ! what's that, sir ? may I be so audacious 
to demand? 

Amo. a kind of greeke wine I haue met with, sir, in my 
trauailes: it is the same that Demosthenes vsually 
drunke, in the composure of all his exquisite, and melli- ^5 
fluous orations. 

Cri. That's to be argued (Amorphvs) if we may 
credit Lvci an , who in his Encomio Demosthenis affirmes, 
hee neuer drunke but water in any of his compositions. 

Amo. Lvcian is absurd, hee knew nothing: I will -« 
beleeue mine owne trauailes, before all the Lvcians of 
Europe. He doth feed you with fittons, figments, and 
leasings. 

Cri. Indeed (I thinke) next a trauailer, he do's 
prettily well. 25 

Amo. I assure you it was wine, I haue tasted it, and 
from the hand of an Italian Antiqiiarie, who deriues it 
authentically from the Duke of Ferrara's bottles. How 
name you the gentleman you are in ranke with there, sir ? 

Cri. Tis Asoxvs, sonne to the late deceas'd Phil- 30 
argyrvs the citizen. 

Amo. Was his father of any eminent place, or meanes ? 

Cri. He was to haue beene Prcetor next yeere. 

Amo. Ha! A prettie formall yong gallant, in good 
sooth : pitty, he is not more gentilely propagated. Harke 35 
you, Crites, you may say to him, what I am, if you 

4 iVec] Quia nulla Q 18 Encomium Q 21 my Q 

22 fittons, figments] fictions Q 



30 Cynthias Revels [act i 

please: though I affect not popularitie, yet I would be 
loth to stand out to any, whom you shall vouchsafe to 
call friend. 
[193] Cri. Sir, I feare I may doe wrong to your sufficiencies 
in the reporting them, by forgetting or misplacing some 
one; your selfe can best enforme him of your selfe, sir: 
except you had some catalogue, or list of your faculties 
readie drawTie, which you would request mee to shew 
45 him, for you, and him to take notice of. 

A MO. This C RITES is sowre: I will thinke, sir. 

Cri. Doe so, sir. O heauen! that any thing (in the 

likenesse of man) should suffer these rackt extremities, 

for the vttering of his sophisticate good parts. 

5° A so. Crites, I haue a sute to you; but you must not 

denie mee : pray you make this gentleman and I friends. 

Cri. Friends! Why ? is there any difference betweene 
you? 

A so. No, I meane acquaintance, to know one another. 
55 Cri. O, now I apprehend you ; your phrase was without 
me, before. 

A so. In good faith, hee's a most excellent rare man, 
I warrant him! 

Cri. S'light, they are mutually inamor'd by this time! 
6« Aso. Will you, sweet Crites? 

Cri. Yes, yes. 

Aso. Nay, but when ? you'le defer it now, and forget it. 

Cri. Why, is't a thing of such present necessitie, that 
it requires so violent a dispatch ? 
65 Aso. No, but (would I might neuer stirre) hee's a most 
rauishing man! good Crites, you shall endeare me to 
you, in good faith-law. 

Cri. Well, your longing shall be satisfied, sir. 



43 list] Inuentory Q 46 sour; [aside.] 49 [Aside. G 

59 [Aside. G 67 faith-law.] faith; la! G 



sc. nil] Cynthias Revels 31 

A so. And withall, you may tell him what my father 
was, and how well he left me, and that I am his heire. 70 

Cri. Leaue it to mee. Fie forget none of your deare 
graces, I warrant you. 

A so. Nay, I know you can better marshall these 
affaires then I can — O gods! I'de giue all the world (if 
I had it) for abundance of such acquaintance. 7s 

Cri. What ridiculous circumstance might I deuise now, 
to bestow this reciprocall brace of butter-flies one vpon 
another ? 

A MO. Since I trode on this side the Alpes, I was not so 
frozen in my inuention. Let mee see : to accost him with ^o 
some choice remnant of Spanish, or italian? that would 
indifferently expresse my languages now: mary then, if 
he should fall out to be ignorant, it were both hard, and 
harsh. How else ? step into some ragioni del stato, and so 
make my induction ? that were aboue him too ; and out ^s 
of his element, I feare. Faine to haue scene him in Venice, 
or Padua ? or some face neere his in similitude ? t'is too 
pointed, and open. No, it must be a more queint, and 
collaterall deuice. As — stay: to frame some encomiastick 
speech vpon this our Metropolis, or the wise magistrates 9° 
thereof, in which politique number, 'tis ods, but his fa- 
ther fill'd vp a roome ? descend into a particular admi- 
ration of their iustice; for the due measuring of coales, 
burning of Cannes, and such like ? As also their religion, [194] 
in pulling downe a superstitious crosse, and aduancing 95 
a Venvs, or Priapvs, in place of it? ha? 'twill doe 
well. Or to talke of some hospitall, whose walls record his 
father a Benefactor ? or of so many buckets bestow'd on 
his parish church, in his life time, with his name at length 
(for want of armes) trickt vpon them? Any of these? ^oo 
Or to praise the cleannesse of the street, wherein hee 

74 I'de] i'le Q 11 butter-flies] Cockscombes Q 78 [Aside. G 
84 ragioni del stat6\ discourse of State Q 



32 Cynthias Revels [act i 

dwelt ? or the prouident painting of his posts against hee 
should haue beene PrcBtorl or (leaning his parent) come 
to some speciall ornament about himselfe, as his rapier, 
105 or some other of his accoutrements ? I haue it : Thanks, 
gracious Minerva. 

A so. Would I had but once spoke to him, and then 
Hee comes to me. 

A MO. 'Tis a most curious, and neatly- wrought band, 
"° this same, as I haue scene, sir. 

A so. O god, sir. 

A MO. You forgiue the humour of mine eye, in obseru- 
ing it. 

Cri. His eye waters after it, it seemes. 
"5 A so. O lord, sir, there needes no such apologie, I 
assure you. 

Cri. I am anticipated: they'll make a solemne deed of 
gift of themselues; you shall see. 

A MO. Your ribband too do's most gracefully, in troth. 
^2° A so. Tis the most gentile, and receiu'd weare now, sir. 

A MO. Beleeue mee, sir (I speake it not to humour you) 
I haue not scene a young gentleman (generally) put on his 
clothes, with more iudgement. 

A so. O, tis your pleasure to say so, sir. 
"5 A MO. No, as I am vertuous (bemg altogether vn- 
trauel'd) it strikes me into wonder. 

A so. I doe purpose to trauaile, sir, at spring. 

A MO. I thinke I shall affect you, sir. This last speech 
of yours hath begun to make you deare to me. 
»3o A so. O god, sir. I would there were any thing in mee, 
sir, that might appeare worthy the least worthinesse of 
your worth, sir. I protest, sir, I should endeuour to shew 
it, sir, with more then common regard, sir. 

108 Hee . . . me] om. Q 114 Cri. His . . . seemes.] om. Q 

\_Aside. O 118 [Aside. G 119 ribband] Rose Q 



sc. nil] Cynthias Revels 33 

Cri. O, here's rare motley, sir. 

A MO. Both your desert, and your endeuours are plenti- 135 
full, suspect them not : but your sweet disposition to trau- 
aile (I assure you) hath made you anothermy-selfe in mine 
eye, and strooke mee inamor'd on your beauties. 

A so. I would I were the fairest lady of France for your 
sake, sir, and yet I would trauaile too. ^40 

A MO. O, you should digresse from your selfe else: for 
(beleeue it) your trauaile is your only thing that rectifies, 
or (as the Italian sales) vi rendi pronto all' attioni, makes 
you fit for action. 

A so. I thinke it be great charge though, sir. ^45 

Amor. Charge? why tis nothing for a gentleman that fi95] 
goes priuate, as your selfe, or so ; my intelligence shall quit 
my charge at all times. Good faith, this hat hath possest 
mine eye exceedingly; tis so prettie, and fantastike : what ? 
ist a beauer? '50 

A sot. I, sir. He assure you tis a beauer, it cost mee 
eight crownes but this morning. 

Amor. After your French account? 

A sot. Yes, sir, 

Crit. And so neere his head ? beshrow me, dangerous. 155 

Amor. A verie prettie fashion (beleeue me) and a most 
nouel kind of trimme: your band is conceited too! 

A sot. Sir, it is all at your seruice. 

Amor. O, pardon me. 

A sot. I beseech you, sir, if you please to weare it, 160 
you shall doe mee a most infinite grace. 

Crit. S'light, will he be praisde out of his clothes? 

A sot. By heauen, sir, I doe not offer it you after the 
Italian manner; I would you should conceiue so of me. 

Amor. Sir, I shall feare to appeare rude in denying 165 

134 [Aside. G 152 eight] six Q 153-5 om. Q 

155 [Aside. G 157 band] Button Q 

C 



34 Cynthias Revels [act i 

your courtesies, especially, being inuited by so proper a 
distinction: may I pray your name, sir? 
AsoT. My name is Asotvs, sir. 
Amor. I take your loue (gentle Asotvs) but let me 

'7' winne you to receiue this, in exchange 

Crit. 'Hart, they'll change doublets anon. 

Amor. And (from this time) esteeme your self e, in the 

first ranke, of those few, whom I professe to loue. What 

make you in companie of this scholler, here ? I will bring 

^75 you knowne to gallants, as Anaides of the ordinarie, 

He don the courtier, and others, whose societie shall 

render you grac'd, and respected : this is a triuiall fellow, 

too meane, too cheape, too course for you to conuerse with. 

A sot. Slid, this is not worth a crowne, and mine cost 

iS'^ mee eight but this morning. 

Crit. I lookt when he would repent him, he ha's 
begunne to bee sad a good while. 

Amor. Sir, shall I say to you for that hat? be not so 
sad, be not so sad: it is a relique I could not so easily 
185 haue departed with, but as the hieroglyphicke of my affec- 
tion; you shall alter it to what forme you please, it will 
take any blocke; I haue receiu'd it varied (on record) to 
the three thousandth time, and not so few : It hath these 
vertues beside ; your head shall not ake vnder it ; nor your 
190 braine leaue you, without licence ; It will preserue your 
complexion to etemitie ; for no beame of the sunne (should 
you weare it vnder Zona torrida) hath power to approch it 
by two ells. It is proofe against thunder, and inchantment : 
and was gmen mee by a great man (in Russia) as an 
193 especiall-priz'd present; and constantly affirm'd to bee 

170 [They exchange beavers. G 171 [Aside. O 175 of 

the ordinarie] om. Q 178 too cheape] om. Q 180 eight] 

six Q 184 tis Q 187 receiu'd . . . record)] varied it 

my selfe Q 192 power] force Q 193 Tis Q 195 especially- 

priz'd Q 



sc. v] Cynthias Revels 35 

the hat, that accompanied the politike Vlysses, in his [196] 
tedious, and ten yeeres trauels. 

A SOT. By lovE, I will not depart withall, whosoeuer 
would giue me a million. 



Act I. Scene v. 
Cos, Criticvs, Amorphvs, Asotvs, Prosaites. 

SAue you, sweet blouds : do's any of you want a crea- 
ture, or a dependant? 

Crit. Beshrow me, a fine blunt slaue! 

Amor. A page of good timber ! it will now bee my grace 
to entertaine him first, though I casheere him againe in s 
priuate: how art thou cal'd? 

Cos. Cos, sir, Cos. 

Crit. Cos? How happily hath fortune furnisht him 
with a whetUone} 

Amor. I doe entertaine you, Cos, conceale your 10 
qualitie till wee be priuate; if your parts be worthie of 
me, I will countenance you ; if not, catechize you : gentles, 
shall we goe ? 

A SOT. Stay, sir; He but entertaine this other fellow, 

and then 1 haue a great humour to taste of this 15 

water too, but He come againe alone for that marke 

the place. What's your name, youth? 

Pros. Prosaites, sir. 

AsoT. Prosaites? A verie fine name, Crites? 
is't not ? 20 

Crit. Yes, and a verie ancient, sir, the begger. 

A SOT. Follow me, good Prosaites: Let's talke. 

Crit. He will ranke euen with you (er't be long) 
If you hold on your course. O vanitie, 

SCENA. 5. Q 1 Cos. Q Act . . . Prosaites.] Enter Cos 

and Prosaites. G 21 Exeunt. Q 22 [Exeunt all but Crites. O 

C2 



36 Cynthias Revels [act i 

25 How are thy painted beauties doted on, 
By light, and emptie ideots! how pursu'de 
"With open and extended appetite! 
How they doe sweate, and run themselues from breath, 
Rais'd on their toes, to catch thy ayrie formes, 

30 Still turning giddie, till they reele like drunkards, 
That buy the merrie madnesse of one houre. 
With the long irkesomenesse of following time! 
O how despisde and base a thing is a man, 
If he not striue t'erect his groueling thoughts 

35 Aboue the straine of flesh ! But how more cheape 
When, euen his best and vnderstanding part, 
(The crowne, and strength of all his faculties) 
Floates like a dead drown'd bodie, on the streame 
[197] Of vulgar humour, mixt with commonst dregs ? 

40 I suffer for their guilt now, and my soule 
(Like one that lookes on ill-affected eyes) 
Is hurt with meere intention on their follies. 
Why will I view them then? my sense might aske me 
Or ist a raritie, or some new obiect, 

45 That straines my strict obseruance to this point ? 
O would it were, therein I could affoord 
My spirit should draw a little neere to theirs, 
To gaze on nouelties: so vice were one. 
Tut, she is stale, ranke, foule, and were it not 

50 That those (that woo her) greet her with lockt eyes, 
(In spight of all the impostures, paintings, drugs. 
Which her bawd custome dawbes her cheekes withall) 
Shee would betray, her loth'd and leprous face, 
And fright th'enamor'd dotards from themselues: 

55 But such is the peruersenesse of our nature. 
That if we once but fancie leuitie, 
(How antike and ridiculous so ere 

33 a man] Man Q, man 1716—0 



sc. v] Cynthias Revels 37 

It sute with vs) yet will our muffled thought 

Choose rather not to see it, then auoide it. 

And if we can but banish our owne sense, ^o 

We act our mimicke trickes with that free licence. 

That lust, that pleasure, that securitie. 

As if we practiz'd in a paste-boord case. 

And no one saw the motion, but the motion. 

Well, checke thy passion, lest it grow too lowd: 65 

"While fooles are pittied, they waxe fat, and proud. 



Act I I . Scene 1 . 
CvpiD, Mercvry. 

"\ 7"\ 7Hy, this was most vnexpectedly followed (my 
diuine delicate Mercvry) by the beard of 
lovE, thou art a precious deiiie. 

Mer. Nay, Cvpid, leaue to speake improperly, since 
wee are turn'd cracks, let's studie to be like cracks; prac- 5 
tise their language, and behauiours, and not with a dead 
imitation: act freely, carelessely, and capriciously, as if 
our velnes ranne with quiclc-siluer, and not vtter a phrase, 
but what shall come forth steept in the verie brine of 
conceipt, and sparkle like salt in fire. '° 

Cvp. That's not euerie ones happinesse (Hermes) 
though you can presume vpon the easinesse, and dextentie 
of your wit, you shall giue me leaue to be a little jealous 
of mine : and not desperately to hazard it after your capr- 
ing humour. ^5 

Mer. Nay, then, Cvpid, I thinke wee must haue you [198] 
hood-winkt againe, for you are growne too prouident, 
since your eyes were at libertie. 

66 Exit. Finis Actus Primi. Q ACTVS SECVNDVS. 

SCENA. 1. Q The Court. Enter Cdpid and Mercury dis- 

guised as pages. G 1 Cup. Q 



38 Cynthias Revels [act ii 

Cvp. Not so (Mercvry) I am still blind Cvpid to 
2° thee. 

Mer. And what to the ladie Nymph you serue? 
Cvp. Troth, page, boy, and sirha : these are all my titles. 
Mer. Then thou hast not altered thy name, with thy 
disguise ? 
25 Cvp. O, no, that had beene supererogation, you shall 
neuer heare your courtier call but by one of these three. 
Mer. Faith, then both our fortunes are the same. 
Cvp. Why? what parcell of man hast thou lighted on 
for a master? 
30 Mer. Such a one (as before I begin to decipher him) 
I dare not affirme to be any thing lesse then a courtier. 
So nmch hee is, during this open time of reuels, and would 
be longer, but that his meanes are to leaue him shortly 
after. His name is Hedon, a gallant wholy consecrated 

35 to his pleasures. 

Cvp. Hedon? he vses much to my ladies chamber, 
I thinke. 
Mer. How is she cal'd, and then I can shew thee? 
Cvp. Madame Philavtia. 
40 Mer. 1, he affects her verie particularly indeed. 
These are his graces. Hee doth (besides me) keepe a 
barber, and a monkie : Hee has a rich wrought wast-coat 
to entertaine his visitants m, with a cap almost sutable. 
His curtaines, and bedding are thought to bee his owne: 
45 his bathing-tub is not suspected. Hee loues to haue a 
fencer, a pedant, and a musician scene in his lodging a 
mornings. 

Cvp. And not a poet? 

Mer. Fye no: himself e is a rimer, and that's a thought 
50 better then a poet. He is not lightly within to his mercer, 

31 affirme him Q lesse] else Q 49 a thought] 

thought 1693 -G 



sc. II] Cynthias Revels 39 

no, though he come when he takes physicke, which is 
commonly after his play. He beates a tailour very well, 
but a stocking-seller admirably: and so consequently 
any one hee owes monie too, that dares not resist him. 
Hee neuer makes generall inuitement, but against the 55 
publishing of a new sute, marie then, you shall haue more 
drawne to his lodging, then come to the lanching of some 
three ships; especially if he be fumish'd with supplies for 
the retyrmg of his old ward-robe from pawne: if not, he 
do's hire a stocke of apparell, and some fortie, or fiftie i^° 
pound in gold, for that fore-noone to shew. He's thought 
a verie necessarie perfume for the presence, and for that 
onely cause welcome thither : sixe millaners shops af f oord 
you not the like sent. He courts ladies with how many 
great horse he hath rid that morning, or how oft he hath "5 
done the whole, or the halfe pommado in a seuen-night 
before : and sometime venters so f arre vpon the vertue of 
his pomander, that he dares tell'hem, how many shirts he 
has sweat at tennis that weeke, but wisely conceales so 
many dozen of bals hee is on the score. Here hee comes, :■■-> 
that is all this. 



B 



Act II. Scene 11. [199] 

Hedon, Mercvry, Anaides, Gelaia, Cvpid. 
Oy. 

Mer. Sir. 

H E D. Are any of the ladies in the presence ? 
Mer. None yet, sir, 

Hed. Giue me some gold, more. 5 

Ana. Is that thy boy, H e d o n ? 
Hed. I, what think'st thou of him? 



65 oft he hath] oft he has Q SCENA. 2. Q Act . . . 

Cvpid.] Enter Hedon, Anaides, and Gelaia, 1 Hedon. Q 



40 Cynthias Revels [act ii 

Ana. S'hart, Il'd geld him ; I warrant he has the philos- 
ophers stone. 
1° Hed. Well said, my good melancholy deuill: Sirrah, 
I haue deuisde one or two of the prettiest othes (this 
morning in my bed) as euer thou heard'st, to protest 
withall in the presence. 

Ana. Pray thee, let's heare 'hem. 
15 Hed. Soft, thou'lt vse 'hem afore me. 

Ana. No (dam'me then) I haue more othes then I 
know how to vtter, by this ayre. 

Hed. Faith, one is, by the tip of your eare, sweet ladie. 
Is't not prettie, and gentile? 
20 Ana. Yes, for the person 'tis applyed to, a ladie. It 

should bee light, and 

Hed. Nay, the other is better, exceeds it much: the 
inuention is farder fet too. By the white valley that lies 

betweene the Alpine hits of your bo some, I protest &c. 

.^5 Ana. Well, you trauel'd for that. He don. 

Mer. I, in a map, where his eyes were but blinde 
guides to his vnderstanding, it seemes. 

Hed. And then I haue a salutation will nicke all, by 
this caper: hay! 
r,o Ana. How is that? 

Hed. You know I call madame Philavtia, my 
Honour; and shee cals me her Ambition. Now, (when I 
meet her in the presence anon) I will come to her, and say, 
sweet Honour, I haue hitherto contented my sense with the 
35 lillies of your hand, but now I will taste the roses of your lip ; 
and (withall) kisse her : to which she cannot but blushingly 
answere, nay, now you are too ambitious. And then doe 
I reply; / cannot bee too ambitious of honour, sweet ladie. 
Wil't not be good ? ha ? ha ? 
40 Ana. O, assure your soule. 

29 hay] ho Q 



c. ii] Cynthias Revels 41 

Hed. By heauen, I thinke 'twill bee excellent, and a 
verie politike atchiuement of a kisse. 

Ana. I haue thought vpon one f or M o r i a , of a sodaine 
too, if it take. 

Hed. What is't, my deare inuention? 45 

Ana. Mary, I will come to her, (and shee alwayes 
weares a muffe, if you bee remembred) and I will tell her, [200] 
Madame, your whole selfe cannot but be perfectly wise: for 
your hands haue wit enough to keepe themselues warme. 

Hed. Now, (before Iove) admirable! looke, thy page 50 
takes it too, by Phcebus, my sweet facetious rascall, 
I could eate water-gruell with thee a moneth, for this 
iest, my deare rogue. 

Ana. O, (by Hercvles) 'tis your onely dish, aboue 
all your potato's, or oyster-pyes in the world. 55 

Hed. I haue ruminated vpon a most rare wish too, and 
the prophecie to it, but He haue some friend to be the 
prophet ; as thus : I doe wish my selfe one of my mistresse 
Cioppini. Another demands. Why would he be one of his 
Mistresse cioppini ? A third answeres. Because he would 60 
make her higher. A fourth shall say, That will make her 
proud. And a fifth shall conclude: Then doe I prophecie, 
pride will haue a fall, and he shall giue it her. 

Ana. rie be your prophet. By gods so, it will be most 
exquisite, thou art a fine inuentious rogue, sirrah. 65 

Hed. Nay, and I haue poesies for rings too, and riddles 
that they dreame not of. 

Ana. Tut, they'll doe that, when they come to sleep 
on 'hem time enough : but were thy deuices neuer in the 
presence yet, Hedon ? t> 

Hed. O, no, I disdaine that. 

Ana. Twere good we went afore then, and brought 
them acquainted with the roome where they shall act, 

45 inuention] mischief e Q 50 admirable! [Oelaia laughs.] G 

53 my] O my Q 59, 60 aopino's Q 69 'hem] the Q 



42 Cynthias Revels [act ii 

lest the strangenes of it put them out of countenance, 

75 when they should come forth. 
Cvp. Is that a courtier too? 

Mer. Troth no; he has two essentiall parts of the 
courtier, pride, and ignorance; mary, the rest come 
somewhat after the ordinarie gallant. Tis impudence it 

8° self e, A N A I D E s ; one, that speakes all that comes in his 
cheekes, and will blush no more then a sackbut. Hee 
lightly occupies the iesters roome at the table, and keepes 
laughter, Gelaia (a wench in pages attire) following him 
in place of a squire, whom he now and then tickles with 

85 some strange ridiculous stuffe, vtter'd (as his land came 
to him) by chance. He will censure or discourse of any 
thing, but as absurdly as you would wish. His fashion is 
not to take knowledge of him that is beneath him in 
clothes. Hee neuer drinkes below the salt. Hee do's 

90 naturally admire his wit, that weares gold-lace, or tissue. 
Stabs any man that speakes more contemptibly of the 
scholler then he. Hee is a great proficient in all the illiber- 
all sciences, as cheating, drinking, swaggering, whoring, 
and such like: neuer kneeles but to pledge healths, nor 

95 prayes but for a pipe of pudding tabacco. He wil blas- 
pheme in his shirt. The othes which hee vomits at one 
supper, would maintaine a towne of garrison in good swear- 
ing a twelue-moneth. One other genuine qualitie he has, 
which crownes all these, and that is this: to a friend in 

»oo want, hee will not depart with the waight of a soldred 

groat, lest the world might censure him prodigall, or 

report him a gull: mary, to his cockatrice, or punquetto, 

[201] halfe a dozen taffata gownes, or sattin kirtles, in a paire 

or two of moneths, why they are nothing. 

105 Cvp. I commend him, he is one of my clients. 

76 Exeunt. Q \Exeunt Hedon and Anaides. O 78 ignorance] 

Ignorance (I meane of such a Courtier, who is (indeed) but the Zani 
to an exact Courtier) Q 104 [They retire to the hack of the stage. 



sc. Ill] Cynthias Revels 43 



Act 1 1 . Scene i 1 1 . 

Amorphvs, Asotvs, Cos, Prosaites, Cvpid, 
Mercvrie. 

COme, sir. You are now within in regard of the pres- 
ence, and see, the priuacie of this roome, how 
sweetly it offers it selfe to our retir'd intendments. Page, 
cast a vigilant, and enquiring eye about, that we be not 
rudely.surpriz'd, by the approch of some ruder stranger. 5 

Cos. I warrant you, sir. I'le tell you when the wolfe 
enters, feare nothing. 

Mer. O, what a masse of benefit shall we possesse, 
in being the inuisible spectators of this strange shew, now 
to be acted? ^° 

A MO. Plant your selfe there, sir: and obserue me. You 
shall now, as well be the ocular, as the eare-witnesse, 
how cleerly I can refell that paradox, or rather pseudodox, 
of those, which hold the face to be the index of the mind, 
which (I assure you) is not so, in any politique creature: 15 
for instance. I will now giue you the particular, and 
distinct face of euery your most noted species of persons, 
as your marchant, your scholer, your souldier, your 
lawyer, courtier, &c. and each of these so truly, as you 
would sweare, but that your eye shal see the variation 2° 
of the lineament, it were my most proper, and genuine 
aspect. First, for your marchant, or citie-face, 'tis thus, 
a dull, plodding face, still looking in a direct line, forward : 
there is no great matter in this face. Then haue you your 
students, or academique face, which is here, an honest, 25 
simple, and methodicall face : but somewhat more spread 

SCENA. 3. Q Act . . . Mercvrie.] Enter Amorphds, Asotus, and 
Cos. G 1 Amor. Q in] om. Q, 1692— G 20 shal see] 

sees Q 22 Marchants Q 



44 Cynthias Revels [act ii 

then the former. The third is your souldiers face, a 
menacing, and astounding face, that lookes broad, and 
bigge: the grace of this face consisteth much in a beard. 

3° The anti-face to this, is your lawyers face, a contracted, 
subtile, and intricate face, full of quirkes, and turnings, 
a labyrinthcsan face, now angularly, now circularly, euery 
way aspected. Next is your statists face, a serious, 
solemne, and supercilious face, full of formall, and square 

35 grauitie, the eye (for the most part) deeply and arti- 
ficially shadow'd : there is great iudgement required in the 
making of this face. But now, to come to your face of 
faces, or courtiers face, tis of three sorts, according to our 
subdiuision of a courtier, elementarie, practique, and theo- 

4° rique. Your courtier theorique, is hee, that hath arriu'd 
to his fardest, and doth now know the court, rather by 
speculation, then practice ; and this is his face : a fastidious 
and oblique face, that lookes, as it went with a vice, and 
were screw'd thus. Your courtier practike, is he, that is 

45 yet in his path, his course, his way, & hath not toucht the 

puntilio, or point of his hopes; his face is here: a most 

[202 1 promising, open, smooth, and ouer-flowing face, that 

seemes as it would runne, and powre it selfe into you. 

Somewhat a northerly face. Your courtier elementarie, 

so is one but newly enter'd, or as it were in the alphabet, or 
vt-re-mi- fa-sol-la of courtship. Note well this face, for it 
is this you must practice. 

A so. He practice 'hem all, if you please, sir. 

A M o. I, hereafter you may : and it will not be altogether 

55 an vngratefull study. For, let your soule be assur'd of 
this (in any ranke, or profession what-euer) the more 
generall, or maior part of opinion goes with the face, and 
(simply) respects nothing else. Therefore, if that can be 

29 consists Q 35-6 arteficially and deeply Q 46 his 

hopes] hopes Q this face Q 49 Somewhat . . . face.] om. Q 

50-1 or vt-] Vt- Q 56 whatsoeuer Q more] most Q 



sc. Ill] Cynthias Revels 45 

made exactly, curiously, exquisitely, thorowly, it is 
inough : But (for the present) you shall only apply your f-o 
selfe to this face of the elementarie courtier, a light, 
reueUing, and protesting face, now blushing, now smiling, 
which you may helpe much with a wanton wagging of 
your head, thus, (a feather will teach you) or with kissing 
your finger that hath the ruby, or playing with some 65 
string of your band, which is a most quaint kind of 
melancholy besides: or (it among ladies) laughing lowd, 
and crying vp your owne wit, though perhaps borrow'd, 
it is not amisse. Where is your page ? call for your casting- 
bottle, and place your mirrour in your hat, as I told you : 70 
so. Come, looke not pale, obserue me, set your face, and 
enter. 

Mer. O, for some excellent painter, to haue tane the 
copy of all these faces! 

Aso. Prosaites. 75 

A MO. Fye, I premonisht you of that : In the court, boy, 
lacquay, or sirrah. 

Cos. Master, Lupus in O, t'is Prosaites. 

Aso. Sirrha prepare my casting-bottle, I thinke 1 
must be enforc'd to purchase me another page, you see so 
how at hand Cos waits, here. 

Mer. So will he too, in time. 

Cvp. What's he, Mercvrie? 

Mer. a notable smelt. One, that hath newly enter- 
tain'd the begger to follow him, but cannot get him to 85 
wait neere enough. T'is Asotvs, the heire of Philar- 
GVRVs: but first I'le giue yee the others character, 
which may make his the cleerer. He that is with him, is 
Amorthvs, a trauailer, one so made out of the mixture 

67-9 or . . . amisse] om. Q 73 Mer.] Amor. Q 74 \^Aside. O 

77 lacquay] om. Q 78 Enter Prosaites. O 79 prepare] 

prepare me Q 81 Exeunt. Q [Exeunt Am^rphus, Asotus, 

Cos and Prosaites. O 84 smelt] Finch Q 87 you Q 



46 Cynthias Revels [act ii 

9° and shreds of formes, that himselfe is truly deform'd. He 
walkes most commonly with a cloue, or pick-tooth in 
his mouth, hee is the very mint of complement, all his 
behauiours are printed, his face is another volume of 
essayes; and his beard an Aristarchus. He speakes all 

95 creame, skimd, and more affected then a dozen of waiting 
women. He is his owne promoter in euery place. The 
wife of the ordinarie giues him his diet, to maintaine her 
table in discourse, which (indeed) is a meere tyrannic ouer 
her other guests, for hee will vsurpe all the talke : ten con- 

i°° stables are not so tedious. He is no great shifter, once a 

yeere his apparell is readie to reuolt. He doth vse much 

to arbitrate quarrels, and fights himselfe, exceeding well 

[203] (out at a window.) He will lye cheaper then any begger, 

and lowder then most clockes: for which he is right 

i°5 properly accommodated to the whetstone, his page. The 
other gallant is his Zani, and doth most of these trickes 
after him; sweates to imitate him in euery thing (to a 
haire) except a beard, which is not yet extant. He doth 
learne to make strange sauces, to eat cenchouies, maccaroni, 

"o houoli, fagioli, and cauiare, because hee loues 'hem ; 
speakes as hee speakes, lookes, walkes, goes so in clothes, 
and fashion: is in all, as if he were moulded of him. 
Mary (before they met) he had other verie prettie sufficien- 
cies, which yet he retaines some light impression of: as 

"5 frequenting a dancing schoole, and grieuously torturing 
strangers, with inquisition after his grace in his galliard. 
He buyes a fresh acquaintance at any rate. His eye and 
his rayment confer much together as he goes in the street. 
He treades nicely, like the fellow that walkes vpon ropes ; 

"o especially the first Sunday of his silke-stockings : and 
when he is most neat, and new, you shall strip him with 
commendations. 

92 Hee's Q 96 Hee's Q 109 to make . . . sauces] om. Q 

109-10 maccaroni, houoli, fagioli} om. Q 112 as if] as Q 119 like a Q 



sc. Ill] Cynthias Revels 47 

Cvp. Here comes another. 

Mer. I, but one of another straine, Cvpid: This 
fellow weighs somewhat. Crttes 

Cvp. His name, Hermes? passetkiy. 

Mer. Crites. A creature of a most perfect and diuine 
temper. One, in whom the humours and elements are 
peaceably met, without emulation of precedencie: he is 
neyther to phantastikely melancholy, too slowly phlegmat- ^30 
icke, too lightly sanguine, or too rashly cholericke, but 
in all, so composde & order'd, as it is cleare. Nature went 
about some ful worke, she did more then make a man, 
when she made him. His discourse is like his behauiour, 
vncommon, but not vnpleasing; hee is prodigall of ney- 13s 
ther. Hee striues rather to bee that which men call 
iudicious, then to bee thought so : and is so truly learned, 
that he affects not to shew it. Hee will thinke, and speake 
his thought, both freely: but as distant from deprauing 
another mans merit, as proclaiming his owne. For his ho 
valour, tis such, that he dares as little to offer an iniurie, 
as receiue one. In summe, he hath a most ingenuous and 
sweet spirit, a sharp and season 'd wit, a straight iudg- 
ment, and a strong mind. Fortune could neuer breake 
him, nor make him lesse. He counts it his pleasure, to us 
despise pleasures, and is more delighted with good deeds, 
then goods. It is a competencie to him that hee can bee 
vertuous. He doth neyther couet nor feare ; hee hath too 
much reason to doe eyther : and that commends all things 
to him. 150 

Cvp. Not better then Mercvry commends him. 

Mer. O, Cvpid, tis beyond my deitie to giue him his 
due prayses: I could leaue my place in heauen, to hue 
among mortals, so I were sure to be no other then he. 

132 went] was Q 140 another] any other Q 142 In- 

genious Q 144 mind] minde; constant and vnshaken Q 

145 nor] or Q 



48 Cynthias Revels [act ii 

155 Cvp. S'light, I beleeue he is your minion, you seeme to 
be so rauisht with him. 

M E R. He's one, I would not haue a wry thought darted 
against, wiUingly. 
[204] Cvp. No, but a straight shaft in his bosome, He promise 
160 him, if I am Cithereas sonne. 
Mer. Shall we goe, Cvpid? 

Cvp. Stay, and see the ladies now: they'll come pres- 
ently. He helpe to paint them. 

Mer. What! lay colour vpon colour? that affords but 
*65 an ill blazon. 
Argurion Cvp. Here comes mettall to helpe it, the ladie Argvr- 

passethby. ^^^ 

Mer. Monie, monie. 

Cvp. The same. A 'Nymph of a most wandring and 

'70 giddy disposition, humorous as the aire, shee'le runne from 
gallant to gallant (as they sit at frimero in the presence) 
most strangely, and seldome stayes with any. Shee spreads 
as shee goes. To day you shall haue her looke as cleere and 
fresh as the morning, and to morrow as melancholike as 

'75 mid-night. Shee takes speciall pleasure in a close obscure 
lodging, and, for that cause, visites the city so often, where 
shee has many secret true-concealing fauourites. When 
shee comes abroad, shee's more loose and scattering then 
dust, and will flie from place to place, as shee were rapt 

1 80 with a whirle-winde. Your yong student (for the most 
part) shee affects not, only salutes him, and away: a poet, 
nor a philosopher, shee is hardly brought to take any 
notice of; no, though he be some part of an alchemist. 
Shee loues a player well, and a lawyer infinitely : but your 

^85 foole aboue all. Shee can doe much in court for the 
obtayning of any sute whatsoeuer, no doore but flies open 
to her, her presence is aboue a charme. The worst in her 

174 Melancholy Q 111 secret and Q 182 nor] or Q 

185 in the Q 



sc. iiii] Cynthias Revels 49 

is want of keeping state, and too much descending into 
inferior and base offices, she's for any coorse imployment 
you will put vpon her, as to be your procurer, or pandar. ^9° 

Mer. Peace, Cvpid, here comes more worke for you, 
another character or two. 



Act I I . Scene 1 1 1 1 . 

• Phantaste, Moria, Philavtia, Mercvrie, 

Cvpid. 

STay, sweet Philavtia, I'le but change my fanne, 
and goe presently. 

MoR. Now (in very good serious) ladies, I will haue 
this order reuerst, the presence must be better main- 
tayn'd from you: a quarter past eleuen, and ne're a 5 
Nymph in prospectiue ? beshrew my hand, there must be 
a reform'd discipline. Is that your new ruffe, sweet lady- 
bird? By my truth, 'tis most intricately rare. 

Mer. Good Iove, what reuerend gentlewoman in 
yeeres might this be ? ^° 

Cvp. This, Madam Moria, guardian of the Nymphs. 
One that is not now to be perswaded of her wit, shee will 
thinke her selfe wise against all the iudgements that come. 
A lady made all of voice, and aire, talkes any thing of any 
thing. Shee is like one of your ignorant Poetasters of the ^s 
time, who when they haue got acquainted with a strange [205] 
word, neuer rest till they haue wroong it in, though it 
loosen the whole fabricke of their sense. 

Mer. That was pretty and sharply noted, Cvpid. 

Cvp. Shee will tell you, Philosophie was a fine reueller, ^° 
when shee was yong, and a gallant, and that then (though 
she say it) she was thought to be the Dame-D i d o , and 

SCENA. 4. Q Act . . . Cvpid.] Enter Phantaste, Moria, 

and Philautia. G 1 Pha. Q 11 This] 'Tis 1640 -G 

D 



50 Cynthias Revels [act ii 

H ELLEN of the court: As also, what a sweet dogge shee 
had this time foure yeeres, and how it was call'd Fortune, 

25 and that (if the fates had not cut his thred) he had beene 

a dogge to haue giuen entertainement to any gallant in 

this kingdome : and, vnlesse shee had whelpt it her selfe, 

shee could not haue lou'd a thing better i'this world. 

Mer. O, I pray thee no more, I am full of her. 

30 Cvp. Yes (I must needes tell you) shee composes a 
sack-posset well; and would court a yong page sweetly, 
but that her breath is against it. 

Mer. Now, her breath (or something more strong) pro- 
tect mee from her: th'other, th'other, Cvpid. 

35 Cvp. O, that's my lady andmistris, Madam Philav- 
TiA. Shee admires not her selfe for any one particularity, 
but for all: shee is faire, and shee knowes it: shee has a 
pretty light wit too, and shee knowes it : shee can dance, 
and shee knowes that too : play at shittle-cock, and that 

40 too: no quality shee has, but shee shall take a very 
particular knowledge of, and most lady-like commend 
it to you. You shall haue her at any time reade you the 
historic of her selfe, and very subtilly runne ouer another 
ladies sufficiencies, to come to her owne. Shee has a good 

45 superficiall iudgement in painting; and would seeme to 
haue so in poetry. A most compleat lady in the opinion of 
some three, beside her-selfe. 

Phi. Faith, how lik'd you my quippe to He don, 
about the garter? was't not witty? 

50 MoR. Exceeding witty and integrate: you did so 
aggrauate the iest withall. 

Phl And did I not dance mouingly the last night? 
MoR. Mouingly ? out of measure (in troth) sweet charge. 
Mer. A happy commendation, to dance out of measure. 



24 yeere Q 27-8 and . . . world] om. Q 52 the] om. Q 

63 chargel Lady Q 



sc. iiii] Cynthias Revels 51 

MoR. Saue only you wanted the swim i' the turne: ss 
6! when I was at fourteene 

Phi. Nay, that's mine owne from any Nymph in the 
court (I am sure on't) therefore you mistake me in that, 
Guardian: both the swimme and the trip, are properly 
mine, euery body will affirme it, that has any iudgement 6° 
in dancing: I assure you. 

Pha. Come now, Philavtia, I am for you, shall 
we goe? 

Phi. I, good Phan taste: What! haue you chang'd 
your head-tire? ^5 

Pha. Yes faith, th'other was so neere the common: it 
had no extraordinary grace; besides, I had wome it 
almost a day, in good troth. 

Phi. rie bee sworne, this is most excellent for the 
deuice, and rare. 'Tis after the italian print, we look'd 70 
on t'other night. 

Pha. 'Tis so: By this fanne, I cannot abide any thing [206] 
that sauours the poore ouer-worne cut, that has any kin- 
dred with it ; I must haue variety, I : this mixing in fashion 
I hate it worse, then to burne juniper in my chamber, " 
I protest. 

Phi. And yet we cannot haue a new peculiar court- 
tire, but these retainers will haue it; these Suhurhe- 
sunday-waiters; these courtiers for high dayes; I know not 
what I should call 'hem ^° 

Pha. O, I, they doe most pittifuUy imitate, but I haue 
a tire a comming (yfaith) shall 

MoR. In good certaine. Madam, it makes you looke 
most heauenly; but (lay your hand on your heart) you 
neuer skin'd a new beautie more prosperously in your life, ^s 
nor more metaphysically: looke, good lady, sweet lady, 
looke. 

57 i'the Q 64 ha' Q 86 metaphysically] super- 

naturally Q 

D2 



52 Cynthias Revels [act ii 

Phi. Tis very cleere, and well, beleeue me. But if you 
had seene mine yesterday, when t'was yong, you would 
9° haue— who's your Doctor, Phantaste? 

Pha. Nay, that's counsell, Philavtia, you shall 

pardon mee : yet (I'le assure you) hee's the most daintie, 

sweet, absolute rare man of the whole colledge. O! his 

very lookes, his discourse, his behauiour, all hee doo's is 

95 physicke, I protest. 

Piii. For heauens sake, his name; good, deare Phan- 
taste 

Pha. No, no, no, no, no, no, (beleeue me) not for a 

million of heauens : I will not make him cheape. Fie 

loo Cvp. There is a Nymph too, of a most curious and 
elaborate straine, light, all motion, an vhiquitarie, shee is 
euery where, Phantaste 

Mer. Her very name speakes her, let her passe. But 
are these (Cvpid) the starres of Cynthias court? doe 
i°5 these Nymphs attend vpon Diana? 

Cvp. They are in her court (Mercvrie) but not as 
starres, these neuer come in the presence of Cynthia. 
The Nymphs that make her traine, are the diuine Arete, 
Time, Phronesis, Thavma, and others of that high 
lio sort. These are priuately brought in by Mori a in this 
licentious time, against her knowledge : and (like so many 
meteors) will vanish, when shee appeares. 



99 Exeunt. Q [Exeunt Phantaste, Moria, and Philautia. G 



sc. v] 



Cynthias Revels 



53 



Act 1 1 . Scene v. 
Prosaites, Gelaia, Cos, Mercvrie, Cvpid. 

Song. 

COme follow me, my wagges, and say as I say. 
There's no riches but in ragges; hey day, hey day. 
You that prof esse this arte, come away, come away. 
And helpe to beare a part. Hey day; hey day, S-c. 

Mer. What! those that were our fellow pages but now, [207] 
so soone preferr'd to be yeomen of the bottles? the 
mysterie, the mysterie, good wagges? 

Cvp. Some dyet-drinke, they haue the guard of. 

Pro. No, sir, we are going in quest of a strange 
fountayne, lately found out. lo 



SCENA. 5. Q Act . . . Song.] Enter Prosaites, singing, 

followed by Gelaia and Cos, with bottles. G Song.] Cant. Q 

1 Pro. Q 4 &c'] om. Q [Mercury and Cupid come forward. G 

Q continues the song: 



Beare-wards, & Blachingme. 

Corne-cutters, and Carmen. 

Sellers of mar-king stones. 

Gatherer's vp of Marow bones 
5 Pedlers, and Puppit-players. 

Sow-gelders, and Sooth-saiers. 

Gipsies and laylers. 

Rat-catchers, and Raylers, 

Beadles, and Ballad-singers. 
lo Fidlers, and Fadingers. 

Thomalins, and Tinkers. 

Scauengers, and Skinkers. 

There goes the Hare away. 
Hey day. Hey day. 



Bawds and blinde Doctors. 
Paritors, and spittle Proctors. 
Chymists, and Cuttlebungs. 
Hookers, and Horne-thums. 
With all cast commaunders. 
turnd Post-knights, or Padars. 
luglers, and lesters. I Beggars 
Borrowers of Testers, j rime. 
And all the troope of trash 
Thafre allied to the lash. 
Come, and loyne with your lags 
Shake vp your muscle-bags. 
For Beggary beares the sway, 
Then sing: cast care away, 

Hey day, hey day. 



54 Cynthias Revels [act hi 

Cvp. By whom? 

Cos. My master, or the great discouerer, Amorphvs. 

Mer. Thou hast well intitled him, Cos, for hee will 
discouer all hee knowes. 
15 Gel. I, and a little more too, when the spirit is vpon 
him. 

Pro. O, the good trauailing gentleman yonder has 
caus'd such a drought i'the presence, with reporting the 
wonders of this new water; that all the ladies, and gall- 
2° ants, lie languishing vpon the rushes, like so many pound- 
ed cattle i' the midst of haruest, sighing one to another, 
and gasping, as if each of them expected a cocke from the 
fountayne, to bee brought into his mouth: and (without 
we returne quickly) they are all (as a youth would say) 
25 no better then a few trowts cast a-shore, or a dish of 
eeles in a sand-bagge. 

Mer. Well then, you were best dispatch, and haue a 
care of them. Come, Cvpid, thou and I'le goe peruse 
this drie wonder. 



S 



Act III. Scene i . 
Amorphvs, Asotvs. 
Ir, let not this dis-countenance, or dis-gallant you 



a whit : you must not sinke vnder the first disaster. 
It is with your young grammaticall courtier, as with 
your neophyte-\A3.yer , a thing vsuall to bee daunted 
5 at the first presence, or enter- view: you saw, there 
was Hedon, and An aides, (farre more practis'd 
gallants then your selfe) who were both out, to comfort 
you. It is no disgrace, no more, then for your aduentrous 
reueller, to fall by some in-auspicious chance in his 

Finis Actus Secundi. ACTUS TERTIVS. SCENA 1. Q 

An Apartment at the Court. O 1 Amor. Q 



sc. i] Cynthias Revels 55 

galliard, or for some subtile politique, to vnder-take the -» 
bastinado, that the state might thinke worthily of him, 
and respect him as a man well beaten to the world. What ! 
hath your taylor prouided the propertie (wee spake of) 
at your chamber, or no ? 

A so. I thinke he has. 's 

A MO. Nay (I intreat you) be not so flat, and melanchol- 
ique. Erect your mind: you shall redeeme this with the 
courtship I will teach you against after-noone. Where 
eate you to day ? 

A so. Where you please, sir, any where, I. 20 

A MO. Come, let vs goe and taste some light dinner, a 
dish of slic'd cauiare, or so, and after, you shall practise 
an houre at your lodging, some few formes that I haue 
recall'd. If you had but so farre gathered your spirits [208] 
to you, as to haue taken vp a rush (v/hen you were out) -s 
and wagg'd it thus, or clensd your teeth with it: or but 
turn'd aside, and fain'd some businesse to whisper with 
your page, till you had recouer'd your selfe, or but found 
some slight staine in your stocking, or any other prettie 
inuention (so it had beene sodaine,) you might haue come 30 
off with a most cleere, and courtly grace. 

A so. A poyson of all, I thinke I was forespoke, I. 

A MO. No, I must tell you, you are not audacious inough, 
you must frequent ordinaries, a moneth more, to initiate 
your selfe: In which time, it will not bee amisse, if (in 33 
priuate) you keepe good your acquaintance with C rites, 
or some other, of his poore coate; visite his lodging se- 
cretly, and often : become an earnest suter to heare some 
of his labours. 

Aso. OIove! sir, I could neuer get him to reade a line 40 
to me. 



10 Politician Q 24 recall'd] remembred Q 33-77 No 

. colours:] om. Q 



56 Cynthias Revels [act hi 

A MO. You must then wisely mixe your selfe in ranke, 

with such, as you know can; and, as your eares doe meet 

with a new phrase, or an acute jest, take it in: a quicke 

45 nimble memory will lift it away, and, at your next 

publique meale, it is your owne. 

A so. But I shall neuer vtter it perfectly, sir. 

A MO. No matter, let it come lame. In ordinary talke 
you shall play it away, as you doe your light crownes at 
50 primero : It will passe. 

A so. I shall attempt, sir. 

A MO. Doe. It is your shifting age for wit, and I assure 
you, men must bee prudent. After this, you may to 
court, and there fall in, first with the way ting- woman, 
55 then with the lady. Put case they doe retaine you there, 
as a fit property, to hire coaches some paire of months, 
or so; or to read them asleep in afternoones vpon some 
pretty pamphlet, to breathe you; why, it shall in time 
imbolden you to some farther atchivement: In the in- 
60 terim, you may fashion your selfe to bee carelesse, and 
impudent. 

A so. How if they would haue me to make verses? 
I heard Hedon spoke to for some. 

Amo. Why, you must prooue the aptitude of your 
65 Genius', if you find none, you must harken out a veine, 
and buy: prouided you pay for the silence, as for the 
worke. Then you may securely call it your owne. 

A so. Yes, and I'le giue out my acquaintance with aU 
the best writers, to countenance me the more. 
70 Amo. Rather seeme not to know 'hem, it is your best. 
I. Be wise, that you neuer so much as mention the name 
of one, nor remember it mention'd; but if they be offerd 
to you in discourse, shake your light head, make betweene 
a sad and a smiling face, pittie some, raile at all, and 
75 commend your selfe : 't is your onely safe, and vnsuspected 
course. Come, you shall looke back vpon the court againe 



sc. ii] Cynthias Revels 57 

to day, and be restor'd to your colours : I doe now partly 

aime at the cause of your repulse (which was 

omenous indeed) for as you enter at the doore, there is 
oppos'd to you the frame of a woolfe in the hangings, so 
which (surprizing your eye sodainely) gaue a false alarme [209] 
to the heart; and that was it call'd your bloud out of 
your face, and so rowted the whole ranke of your spirits : 
I beseech you labour to forget it. And remember (as I 
inculcated to you before, for your comfort) Hedon, and 85 
Anaides. 



H 



Act III. Scene 1 1 . 
Hedon, Anaides. 
Art, was there euer so prosperous an inuention thus 



vnluckily peruerted, and spoyl'd by a whore-sonne 
booke-worme, a candle-waster? 

Ana. Nay, be not impatient, Hedon. 

Hed. S'light, I would faine know his name. s 

Ana. Hang him, poore grogran-rascall, pray thee 
thinke not of him: I'le send for him to my lodging, and 
haue him blanketted when thou wilt, man. 

Hed. By gods so; I would thou could 'st. Looke, 
here hee comes. Laugh at him, laugh at him, ha, ha, ha. Crites 

Ana. Fough, he smels all lamp-oyle, with studying ^'^^^^ '''' 
by candle-light. 

Hed. How confidently he went by vs, and carelesly! 
neuer moou'd ! nor stirr'd at any thing ! did you obserue 
him? 15 

77 I doe now] No, I do Q 78 of your repulse] om. Q 81 sur- 
prizing your eye] your eye taking Q 83 rowted] disordred Q 
84-6 And . . . Anaides.] om. Q 84 Exeunt. Q SCENA. 2. Q 
Another Apartment in the same. Enter Hedon and Anaides. G 
1 Hed. Q 6 pr'ythee Q 8 ha' Q 10 {margin) Crites 
. . . by.] Enter Crites, and walks in a musing posture at the hack of 
the stage. G 



58 Cynthias Revels [act hi 

Ana. I, a poxe on him, let him goe, dormouse: he is 
m a dreame now. He has no other time to sleepe, but 
thus, when hee walkes abroad, to take the ayre. 

Hed. Gods precious, this afflicts mee more then all 
2° the rest, that wee should so particularly direct our hate, 
and contempt against him, and hee to carrie it thus with- 
out wound, or passion! 'tis insufferable. 

Ana. S'lid, (my deare enuie) if thou but saist the word 
now, He vndoe him eternally for thee. 
25 Hed. How, sweet An aides? 

Ana. Mary halfe a score of vs get him in (one night) 
and make him pawne his wit for a supper. 

Hed. Away, thou hast such vnseasonable jests. By 
this heauen, I wonder at nothing more then our gentlemen- 
30 vshers, that will suffer a piece of serge, or perpetuana, 
to come into the presence : mee thinkes they should (out 
of their experience) better distinguish the silken disposi- 
tion of courtiers, then to let such terrible coorse ragges 
mixe with vs, able to fret any smooth or gentile societie 
35 to the threeds with their rubbing deuices. 

Ana. Vnlesse 't were Lent, Ember weekes, or Fasting 
dayes, when the place is most penuriously emptie of all 
other good outsides. Dam'mee, if I should aduenture 
on his companie once more, without a sute of buffe, to 
\° defend my wit ; he does nothing but stab the slaue : how 
mischieuously he cross'd thy deuice of the prophesie there ? 
AndMoRiA, shee comes without her muffe too, and there 
my inuention was lost. 
[210] Hed. Well, I am resolu'd what He doe. 
45 Ana. What, my good spirituous sparke? 

Hed. Mary, speake all the venome I can of him; and 
poyson his reputation in euery place, where I come. 
Ana. 'Fore god, most courtly. 

33 a Courtier Q 34 vs] 'hem 36-8 Vnlesse't . . . out^ 

sides.] om. Q 40 stab, the slave 1640, W—G 



sc. Ill] Cynthias Revels 59 

H E D. And if I chance to bee present where any question 
is made of his sufficiencies, or of any thing he hath done 50 
priuate, or pubhke, He censure it shghtly, and ridicu- 
lously. 

Ana. At any hand beware of that, so thou maist draw 
thine owne iudgement in suspect. No, He instruct thee 
what thou shalt doe, and by a safer meanes : Approue any 55 
thing thou hearest of his, to the receiu'd opinion of it; 
but if it bee extraordinarie, giue it from him to some 
other, whom thou more particularly affect 'st. That's the 
way to plague him, and he shall neuer come to defend 
himself e. S'lud, He giue out, all he does is dictated from 60 
other men, and sweare it too (if thou'lt ha'mee) and that I 
know the time, and place where he stole it, though my 
soule bee guiltie of no such thing ; and that I thinke, out 
of my heart, hee hates such barren shifts: yet to doe thee 
a pleasure, and him a disgrace, I'le dam' my selfe, or doe 65 
any thing. 

Hed. Gramercies, my deare deuill: weele put it seri- 
ously in practice, yfaith. 



Act III. Scene 1 1 i . 
Crites. 

DOe, good detraction, doe, and I the while 
Shall shake thy spight off with a carelesse smile. 
Poore pittious gallants ! What leane idle sleights 
Their thoughts suggest to flatter their staru'd hopes? 
As if I knew not how to entertaine 
These straw-deuices : but, of force, must yeeld 
To the weake stroke of their calumnious tongues. 

53 thou maist] you may Q 54 thine] your Q 60 Sblood Q 

68 Exeunt Q SCENA. 3. Q Act . . . Ceites.] [Exeunt 

Hedon and Anaideo. Cri. [coming forward.'] 1 Crit. Q 



6o Cynthias Revels [act hi 

What should I care what euery dor doth buzze 
In credulous eares? it is a crowne to me, 

^° That the best iudgements can report me wrong'd; 
Them lyars; and their slanders impudent. 
Perhaps (vpon the rumour of their speeches) 
Some grieued friend will whisper to me, C rites, 
Men speake ill of thee; so they be ill men, 

15 If they spake worse, 'twere better: for of such 
To be disprais'd, is the most perfect praise. 
What can his censure hurt me, whom the world 
Hath censur'd vile before me? If good Chrestvs, 
EvTHVS, or Phronimvs, had spoke the words, 

20 They would haue moou'd me, and I should haue call'd 
[211] My thoughts, and actions, to a strict accompt 
Vpon the hearing: But when I remember, 
'Tis Hedon, and An aides: alasse, then, 
I thinke but what they are, and am not stirr'd. 

25 The one, a light voluptuous reueller, 
The other a strange arrogating puffe, 
Both impudent, and ignorant inough; 
That talke (as they are wont) not as I merit: 
Traduce by custome, as most dogges doe barke, 

30 Doe nothing out of judgement, but disease, 
Speake ill, because they neuer could speake well. 
And who'ld be angry with this race of creatures ? 
What wise physician haue we euer seene 
Moou'd with a frantike man ? the same affects 

35 That he doth beare to his sicke patient. 
Should a right minde carrie to such as these: 
And I doe count it a most rare reuenge. 
That I can thus (with such a sweet neglect) 
Plucke from them all the pleasure of their malice. 

40 For that's the marke of all their inginous drifts, 

8 What] Why Q 13 to me, Crites] Criticus Q 



sc. iiii] Cynthias Revels 6i 

To wound my patience, howsoe're they seeme 
To aime at other obiects: which if miss'd, 
Their enui's hke an arrow, shot vpright, 
That, in the fall, indangers their owne heads. 



Act III. Scene 1 1 1 1 . 
Arete, Crites. 

T 7\ ^Hat, Crites! where haue you drawne forth the 
V V day? 

You haue not visited your jealous friends? 

Cri. Where I haue scene (most honour'd Arete,) 
The strangest pageant, fashion 'd like a court, 
(At least I dream't I saw it) so diffus'd, s 

So painted, pyed, and full of rainbow straines, 
As neuer yet (eyther by time, or place) 
Was made the food to my distasted sence: 
Nor can my weake imperfect memorie 
Now render halfe the formes vnto my tongue, lo 

That were conuolu'd within this thriftie roome. 
Here, stalkes me by a proud, and spangled sir, 
That lookes three hand-fuls higher then his fore-top; 
Sauours himselfe alone, is onely kind 
And louing to himselfe: one that will speake 15 

More darke, and doubtfull then six oracles; 
Salutes a friend, as if he had a stitch, 

Is his owne chronicle, and scarce can eat [212] 

For registring himselfe: is waited on 

By mimiques, jesters, pandars, parasites, 20 

And other such like prodigies of men. 
He past, appeares some mincing marmoset 

SCENA. 4.Q Act. . . Crites.] Enter Arete. G 1 Aret. Q 

drawne forth] spent Q 22-41 appeares . . . mouthes] om. Q 



62 Cynthias Revels [act hi 

Made all of clothes, and face; his limbes so set 
As if they had some voluntarie act 

25 Without mans motion, and must mooue iust so 
In spite of their creation: one that weighes 
His breath betweene his teeth, and dares not smile 
Beyond a point, for feare t'vnstarch his looke; 
Hath trauell'd to make legs, and scene the cringe 

30 Of seuerall courts, and courtiers; knowes the time 
Of giuing titles, and of taking wals; 
Hath read court-common-places; made them his: 
Studied the grammar of state, and all the rules 
Each formall vsher in that politike schoole, 

35 Can teach a man. A third comes giuing nods 
To his repenting creditors, protests 
To weeping sutors, takes the comming gold 
Of insolent, and base ambition, 
That hourely rubs his dry, and itchie palmes: 

40 Which grip't, like burning coales, he hurles away 
Into the laps of bawdes, and buffons mouthes. 
With him there meets some subtle Protevs, one 
Can change, and varie with all formes he sees; 
Be any thing but honest; serues the time; 

45 Houers betwixt two factions, and explores 
The drifts of both; which (with crosse face) he beares 
To the diuided heads, and is receiu'd 
With mutuall grace of eyther: one that dares 
Doe deeds worthie the hurdle, or the wheele, 

so To be thought some bodie ; and is (in sooth) 
Such as the Satyrist points truly forth, 
That onely to his crimes owes all his worth. 
Are. You tell vs wonders, Crites. 
Cri. This is nothing. 

42 With him there meets] there comes Q 52 That . . . 

worth] Criminihus debent hortos, prcetoria, mensas Q 53 This] 

Tut, this Q 



sc. iiii] Cynthias Revels 63 

There stands a Neophyte glazing of his face. 

Pruning his clothes, perfuming of his haire, ss 

Against his idoll enters; and repeates 

(Like an vnperfect prologue, at third musike) 

His part of speeches, and confederate iests, 

In passion to himselfe. Another sweares 

His Scene of courtship ouer; bids, beleeue him, ^° 

Twentie times, ere they will; anon, doth seeme 

As he would kisse away his hand in kindnesse; [^^^1 

Then walkes of melancholike, and stands wreath'd. 

As he were pinn'd vp to the arras, thus. 

A third is most in action, swimmes, and friskes, 65 

Playes with his mistresse pappes, salutes her pumps, 

Adores her hems, her skirts, her knots, her curies. 

Will spend his patrimonie for a garter. 

Or the least feather in her bounteous fanne. 

A fourth, he onely comes in for a mute: 70 

Diuides the act with a dumbe shew, and exit. 

Then must the ladies laugh, straight comes their Scene, 

A sixt times worse confusion then the rest. 

Where you shall heare one talke of this mans eye'. 

Another, of his lip; a third, his nose; 75 

A fourth commend his legge; a fift his foot; 

A sixt his hand; and euery one a limme: 

That you would thinke the poore distorted gallant 

Must there expire. Then fall they in discourse 

Of tires, and fashions, how they must take place, so 

Where they may kisse, and whom, when to sit downe, 

And with what grace to rise; if they salute, 

What curt'sie they must vse: such cob-web stuffe. 

As would enforce the common'st sense abhorre 

Th' Arachnean workers. 



55 om. Q 60-1 bids . . . seeme] and then seemes Q 

63-4 om. Q 67 om. Q 



64 Cynthias Revels [act III 

85 Are. Patience, gentle C rites. 

This knot of spiders will be soone dissolu'd. 

And all their webs swept out of Cynthias court, 

When once her glorious deitie appeares, 

And but presents it selfe in her full light: 
90 Till when, goe in, and spend your houres with vs 

Your honour 'd friends, Time, and Phronesis, 

In contemplation of our goddesse name. 

Thinke on some sweet, and choice inuention, now, 

Worthie her serious, and illustrous eyes, 
95 That from the merit of it we may take 

Desir'd occasion to preferre your worth. 

And make your seruice knowne to Cynthia. 

It is the pride of Arete to grace 

Her studious louers; and (in scorne of time, 
i°° Enuie, and ignorance) to lift their state 

Aboue a vulgar height. True happinesse 

Consists not in the multitude of friends. 

But m the worth, and choice. Nor would I haue 

Vertue a popular regard pursue: 
105 Let them be good that loue me, though but few. 
[214] Cri. I kisse thy hands, diuinest Arete, 

And vow my selfe to thee, and Cynthia. 



Act III. Scene v. 
Amorphvs, Asotvs. 

A Little more forward : So, sir. Now goe in, dis-cloke 
your selfe, and come forth. Taylor, bestow thy 
absence vpon vs; and bee not prodigall of this secret, 

85 gentle Crites] Criticus Q 107 Exeunt. Q SCENA 5. Q 

Another Apartment in the same. Enter Amorphds, followed by 

Asotds and his Tailor. G 1 Amo. Q 2 forth. [ExitAsotus. G 



sc. v] Cynthias Revels 65 

but to a deare customer, 'Tis well enterd, sir. Stay, 
you come on too fast ; your pase is too impetuous. Imag- s 
ine this to be the palace of your pleasure, or place, where 
your lady is pleas'd to bee scene. First, you present your 
selfe, thus : and spying her, you fall off, and walke some 
two turnes; in which time, it is to bee suppos'd, your 
passion hath sufficiently whited your face : then (stifling ^° 
a sigh or two, and closing your lips) with a trembling 
boldnesse, and bold terrour, you aduance your selfe for- 
ward. Proue thus much, I pray you. 

A so. Yes, sir, (pray Iove I can light on it). Here, 
I come in, you say, and present my selfe? 15 

Amo. Good. 

A so. And then I spie her, and walke off? 

Amo. Very good. 

A so. Now, sir, I stifle, and aduance forward? 

Amo. Trembling. ^o 

A so. Yes, sir, trembling: I shall doe it better when I 
come to it. And what must I speake now? 

Amo. Mary, you shall say: Deare beautie, or, sweet 
honour (or by what other title you please to remember her) 
me thinkes you are melancholy. This is, if shee be alone 25 
now, and discompanied. 

A so. Well, sir. He enter againe; her title shall be. My 
deare Lindabrides. 

Amo. Lindabrides? 

A so. I, sir, the Emperour Alicandroes daughter, 30 
and the Prince Meridians sister (in the Knight of the 
Sunne) shee should haue beene married to him, but that 
the Princesse Claridiana 

Amo. O, you betray your reading. 

A so. Nay, sir, I haue read historic, I am a little 35 
humanitian. Interrupt me not, good sir. My deare 

4 customer. [^Exit Tailor. Re-enter Asotus. O 13 Proue] 

Try Q 14 Iove] god Q 

E 



66 Cynthias Revels [act hi 

LiNDABRiDES, My dearc Lindabrides, My deare 
LiNDABRiDES, me thinkes you are melancholy. 

A MO. I, and take her by the rosie-finger'd hand. 
40 Aso. Must I so? O, my deare Lindabrides, mee 
thinkes you are melancholy. 

A MO. Or thus, sir. All varietie of diuine pleasures, 
choice sports, sweet musique, rich fare, braue attire, soft 
beds, and silken thoughts attend this deare beautie. 
[215] Aso. Beleeue mee, that's pretty. All varietie of diuine 
pleasures, choice sports, sweet musique, rich fare, braue 
attires, soft beds, and silken thoughts, attend this deare 
beautie. 

A MO. And then, offring to kisse her hand, if shee shall 
50 coily recoile, and signifie your repulse; you are to re- 
enforce your selfe, with. More then most faire ladie, let 
not the rigour of your iust disdaine thus coursly censure 
of your seruants zeale: and, withall, protest her, to be the 
onely, and absolute vnparalell'd creature you do adore, 
55 and admire, and respect, and reuerence, in this court, 
comer of the world, or kingdome. 

Aso. This is hard, by my faith. I'le begin it all, againe. 

A MO. Doe so, and I will act it for your ladie. 

Aso. Will you vouchsafe, sir? All varietie of diuine 
60 pleasures, choice sports, sweet musique, rich fare, braue 
attire, soft beds, and silken thoughts attend this deare 
beautie. 

A MO. So, sir, pray you away. 

Aso. More then most faire ladie, let not the rigour of 
65 your lust disdaine, thus coursly censure of your seruants 
zeale, I protest, you are the onely, and absolute, vnappar- 
eUed 

A MO. Vnparalelld. 

Aso. Vnparalelld creature, I doe adore, and admire, 

43 Attires Q 



sc. v] Cynthias Revels 67 

and respect, and reuerence, in this court, corner of the 70 
world, or kingdome. 

A MO. This is, if shee abide you. But now, put case shee 
should bee passant when you enter, as thus: you are to 
frame your gate thereafter, and call vpon her, Ladie, 
Nymph, Sweet refuge, Starre of our court. Then if shee 75 
beguardant, here : you are to come on, and (laterally dispos- 
ing your selfe) sweare, by her blushing and well coloured 
cheeke, the bright die of her haire, her iuorie teeth 
(though they be ebonie) or some such white, and innocent 
oth, to induce you. If reguardant, then maintaine your so 
station, briske, and irpe, shew the supple motion of your 
pliant bodie, but (in chiefe) of your knee, and hand, 
which cannot but arride her proud humour exceedingly. 

A so. I conceiue you, sir, I shall performe all these 
things in good time, I doubt not, they doe so hit me. ss 

A MO. Well, sir, I am your ladie; make vse of any of 
these beginnings, or some other out of your owne inuen- 
tion: and proue, how you can hold vp, and follow it. 
Say, say. 

Aso. Yes, sir, my deare Lindabrides. 9° 

A MO. No, you affect that Lindabrides too much. 
And (let mee tell you) it is not so courtly. Your pedant 
should prouide you some parcells of french, or some pretty 
commoditie of Italian to commence with, if you would be 
exoticke, and exquisite. 95 

Aso. Yes, sir, he was at my lodging t'other morning, 
I gaue him a doublet. 

Amo. Double your beneuolence, and giue him the hose 
too, clothe you his bodie, he will helpe to apparell your 
mind. But now, see what your proper Genivs can per- [216] 
forme alone, without adiection of any other Minerva. 

Aso. I comprehend you, sir. 

79 (though . . . ebonie)] om. Q 

E2 



68 Cynthias Revels [act hi 

A M o. I doe stand you, sir : fall backe to your first place. 
Good, passing well: Very properly pursude. 

A so. Beautifull, ambiguous, and sufficient ladie, what ! 
are you all alone? 

A MO. We would be, sir, if you would leaue vs. 

A so. I am at your beauties appointment, bright angell; 
but 



no Amo. What but? 

A so. No harme, more then most faire feature. 
Amo. That touch relished well. 

A so. But, I protest 

Amo. And why should you protest? 
115 A so. For good will (deare esteem 'd Madam) and I 
hope, your ladiship will so conceiue of it: 
And will, in time, returne from your disdaine, 
And rue the suff ranee of our friendly paine. 

Amo. O, that peece was excellent! if you could picke 
"o out more of these play-particles, and (as occasion shall 
salute you) embroider, or damaske your discourse with 
them, perswade your soule, it would most iudiciously 
commend you. Come, this was a well discharg'd, and 
auspicious bout. Proue the second. 
125 A so. Ladie, I cannot ruffle it in red and yellow. 
Amo. Why, if you can reuell it in white, sir, 'tis suffi- 
cient. 

A so. Say you so, sweet ladie? Lan, tede, de, de, de, 
dant, dant, dant, dattte, S-c. No (in good faith) Madame, 
130 whosoeuer told your ladiship so, abusde you; but I would 
be glad to meet your ladiship in a measure. 

Amo. Me, sir? belike you measure me by your selfe, 
then ? 

117-8 And . . . paine.] If euer you haue seene great TAMBERLAINE. 
Q 119 peece] Blanke Q 122 most] om. Q 125 ruffle] 

swagger Q red] Black Q 128 de] om. Q 129 &. [Sings 

and dances.] G 



sc. v] Cynthias Revels 69 

A so. Would I might, faire feature. 

Amo. And what were you the better, if you might? 'ss 

A so. The better it please you to aske, faire ladie. 

Amo. Why, this was rauishing, and most acutely con- 
tinu'd. Well, spend not your humour too much, you 
haue now competently exercised your conceit : This (once 
or twice a day) will render you an accomplisht, elaborate, 140 
and well leuelled gallant. Conuey in your courting-stock, 
wee will (in the heat of this) goe visit the Nymphs chamber. 



Act 1 1 1 1 . Scene i . 
Phantaste, Philavtia, Argvrion, Moria, 

CVPID. 

I Would this water would ariue once, our trauailing 
friend so commended to vs. 

Arg. So would I, for hee has left all vs in trauaile with 
expectation of it. 

Pha. Pray Iove, I neuer rise from this couch, if euer [217] 
I thirsted more for a thing, in my whole time of being 
a courtier. 

Phi. Nor I, Tie be swome: The very mention of it 
sets my lips in a worse heate, then if hee had sprinkled 
them with mercufie. Reach mee the glasse, sirrah. 10 

Cvp. Here, ladie. 

Mor. They doe not peele, sweet Charge, doe they? 

Phi. Yes, a little. Guardian. 

Mor. O, 'tis an eminent good signe. Euer when my 
lips doe so, I am sure to haue some delicious good drinke, 15 
or other approching. 

141 gallant] Gentleman Q Finis Actus tertij. Q ACTVS 

QUARTVS. SCENA. 1. Q An Apartment in the Palace. 

Enter, etc. G 1 Phan. Q 14 an] a Q 



yo Cynthias Revels [act iiii 

Arc. Mary, and this may be good for vs ladies: for 
(it seemes) tis far-fet by their stay. 

MoR. My palate for yours (deare Honor) it shall proue 
2° most elegant, I warrant you : O, I doe fancy this geare 
that's long a comming, with an vnmeasurable straine. 

Pha. Pray thee sit downe, Philavtia, that rebatu 
becomes thee singularly. 

Phi. Is't not queint? 
25 Pha. Yes faith. Me thinkes, thy seruant He don is 
nothing so obsequious to thee, as he was wont to be: 
I know not how, hee's growne out of his garbe a-late, 
hee's warpt. 

MoR. In trewnesse, and so me thinkes too; he's much 
30 conuerted. 

Phi. Tut, let him bee what hee will, 'tis an animall 
I dreame not of. This tire (me thinkes) makes me looke 
very ingeniously, quick, and spirited, I should be some 
Lavra, or some Delia, me thinkes. 
35 M OR. As I am wise (faire Honors) that title shee gaue 
him, to bee her Ambition, spoild him: Before, hee was the 
most propitious, and obseruant young nouice 

Pha. No, no, you are the whole heauen awry. Guardian : 
'tis the swaggering coach-horse Anaides, drawes with 
40 him there, has beene the diuerter of him. 

Phi. For Cvpids sake, speake no more of him; 

would I might neuer dare to looke in a mirror againe, if 

I respect ere a marmaset of 'hem al, otherwise, then I 

would a feather, or my shittle-cock, to make sport with, 

45 now and then. 

Pha. Come, sit downe; troth (and you be good 
Beauties) let's runne ouer 'hem all now: Which is the 
properst man amongst them? I say, the trauailer, 
Amorphvs. 

33 Ingenuously Q 39 tilt-horse Q 43 'hem] them Q 



sc. i] Cynthias Revels 71 

Phi. O, fie on him, he lookes Hke a Venetian trumpetter, 50 
i' the battaile of Lepanto, in the gallerie yonder; and 
speakes to the tune of a countrey ladie, that comes euer 
i' the rereward, or traine of a fashion. 

MoR. I should haue iudgement in a feature, sweet 
Beauties. 55 

Pha. a bodie would thinke so, at these yeeres. 

MoR. And I preferre another now, far before him, 
a million at least. 

Pha. Who might that be. Guardian} 

MoR. Mary (faire Charge) An aides. [218] 

Pha. Anaides! you talk't of a tune Philavtia, 
there's one speakes in a key: like the opening of some 
Justices gate, or a poste-boies home, as if his voice fear'd 
an arrest for some ill wordes it should giue, and were loth 
to come forth. 65 

Phi. I, and he has a very imperfect face. 

Pha. Like a sea-monster, that were to rauish An- 
dromeda from the rocke. 

Phi. His hand's too great too, by at least a strawes 
breadth. i° 

Pha. Nay, he has a worse fault then that, too. 

Phi. a long heele? 

Pha. That were a fault in a ladie, rather then him: 
No, they say, hee puts off the calues of his legs, with his 
stockings, euery night. 75 

Phi. Out vpon him: turne to another of the pictures, 
for loues sake. What sales Argvrion? whom doo's 
shee commend, afore the rest ? 

Cvp. I hope, I haue instructed her sufficiently for an 
answere. so 

MoR. Troth, I made the motion to her ladiship for 



50 Venetian] Dutch Q 67-8 sea-monster . . . rocke.] squeez'd 

Orenge, sower, sower. Q 77 loues] Gods Q 80 [Aside. G 



72 Cynthias Revels [act iiil 

one to day, i' the presence, but it appear'd shee was 
other-waies furnisht before: Shee would none. 

Pha. Who was that, Argvrion? 
85 MoR. Mary, the poore plaine gentleman, i' the blacke, 
there. 

Pha. Who, Crites? 

Arc. I, I, he. A fellow, that no body so much as lookt 
vpon, or regarded, and shee would haue had me done him 
90 particular grace. 

Pha. That was a true tncke of your selfe, Mori a, 
to perswade Argvrion, to affect the scholer. 

Arc. Tut, but shee shall be no chuser for me. In good 
faith, 1 like the citizens sonne there, Asoxvs , mee thinkes, 
95 none of them all come neere him. 

Pha. Not, Hedon? 

Arg. Hedon, in troth no. Hedon's a pretty slight 
courtier, and he weares his clothes well, and sometimes 
in fashion; Mary, his face is but indifferent, and he has 
100 no such excellent body. No, th'other is a most delicate 
youth, a sweet face, a streight body, a well proportion 'd 
legge and foot, a white hand, a tender voice. 

Phi. How now, Argvrion? 

Pha. O, you should haue let her alone, shee was 
105 bestowing a copy of him vpon vs. Such a nose were 
inough to make me loue a man, now. 

Phi. And then his seuerall colours he weares; wherein 
he flourisheth changeably, euery day. 

Pha. O, but his short haire, and his narrow eyes! 
"o Phi. Why, shee dotes more palpably vpon him, then 
ere his father did vpon her. 

Pha. Beleeue mee, the young gentleman deserues it. 
If shee could dote more, 'twere not amisse. Hee is an 



85 Kttle, poore Q 92 to] om. Q 105-9 Such . . . eyes!] 

om. Q 



sc. i] Cynthias Revels 73 

exceeding proper youth, and would haue made a most [2i9] 
neate barber-surgeon, if hee had beene put to it in time, ^'s 

Phi. Say you so ? me thinkes, he lookes hke a taylour 
alreadie. 

Pha. I, that had sayed on one of his customers sutes. 
His face is Hke a squeezed orange, or— 

Arg. Well, ladies, jest on: the best of you both would ^^° 
be glad of such a seruant. 

MoR. I, I'le be sworne would they, though hee be a 
little shame-fac'd. 

Pha. Shame-fac'd, Mori a! out vpon him. Your 
shame-fac'd seruant is your onely gull. "s 

MoR. Goe to, Beauties, make much of time, and place, 
and occasion, and opportunitie, and fauourites, and things 
that belong to 'hem, for I'le ensure you, they will all 
relinquish; they cannot indure aboue another yeere; I 
know it out of future experience : and therefore take ^30 
exhibition, and warning. I was once a reueller my selfe, 
and though I speak it (as mine owne trumpet) I was then 
esteem'd 

Phi. The very march-pane of the court, I warrant you ? 

Pha. And all the gallants came about you like flyes, 135 
did they not ? 

M o R, Goe to, they did somewhat, that's no matter now. 

Pha. Nay, good Mori a, be not angrie. Put case, that 
wee foure now had the grant from Ivno, to wish our 
selues into what happie estate wee could ? what would 140 
you wish to be, Moria? 

MoR. Who I ? Let me see now. I would wish to be a 
wisewoman, and know all the secrets of court, citie, and 
countrie. Iwould know what were done behind the arras, 
what vpon the staires, what i' the garden, what i' the 145 



119 His . . . or —] om. Q 122-6 though . . . Mor.] ow. Q 

128 'hem] them Q 134 you] om. Q 138-218 om. Q 



74 Cynthias Revels [act iiii 

Nymphs chamber, what by barge, & what by coach. I 
would tel you which courtier were scabbed, and which 
not; which ladie had her owne face to lie with her a-nights, 
& which not; who put off their teeth with their clothes 

150 in court, who their haire, who their complexion ; and in 
which boxe they put it. There should not a Nymph, or 
a widdow be got with childe i' the verge, but I would 
guesse (within one or two,) who was the right father: 
and in what moneth it was gotten ; with what words ; and 

155 which way. I would tell you, which Madame lou'd a 
Monsieur, which a player, which a page; who slept with 
her husband, who with her friend, who with her gentle- 
man-vsher, who with her horse-keeper, who with her 
monkie, and who with all. Yes, and who jigg'd the 

160 cocke too. 

Pha. Fye, you'ld tell all, Mori a. It I should wish 
now, it should bee to haue your tongue out. But what 
sayes Philavtia? who would she be? 

Phi. Troth, the verie same I am. Onely I would wish 

165 my selfe a little more command, and soueraignetie ; that 
all the court were subiect to my absolute becke, and all 
things in it depending on my looke; as if there were no 
other heauen, but in my smile, nor other hell, but in my 
frowne; that I might send for any man I list, and haue his 

170 head cut off, when I haue done with him ; or made an 
[220j eunuch, if he denyed mee : and if I saw a better face then 
mine owne, I might haue my doctor to poyson it. What 
would you wish, Phantaste? 

Pha. Faith, I cannot (readily) tell you what: But (mee 

175 thinkes) I should wish my selfe all manner of creatures. 
Now, I would bee an empresse ; and by and by a dutchesse ; 
then a great ladie of state; then one of your miscelany 
madams; then a waiting-woman; then your cittizens 
wife ; then a course countrey gentlewoman ; then a deyrie 

180 maide; then a shepheards lasse; then an empresse againe, 



sc. i] Cynthias Revels 75 

or the queene of fayries: And thus I would prooue the 
vicissitudes, and whirle of pleasures, about, and againe. 
As I were a shepheardesse, I would bee pip'd and sung 
too; as a deyrie wench, I would dance at way-poles, and 
make sillabubbes; As a countrey gentlewoman, keep a '85 
good house, and come vp to terme, to see motions; As 
a cittizens wife, bee troubled with a iealous husband, and 
put to my shifts; (others miseries should bee my pleasures) 
As a waiting-woman, I would taste my ladies delights to 
her; As a miscellany madame inuent new tyres, and goe 190 
visite courtiers; As a great ladie, lye a bed, and haue 
courtiers visite mee; As a dutchesse, I would keepe my 
state : and as an empresse, I'M doe any thing. And, in all 
these shapes, I would euer bee foUow'd with th'affections 
of all that see mee. Mary, I my selfe would affect none; 195 
or if I did, it should not bee heartily, but so as I might 
saue my selfe in 'hem still, and take pride in tormenting 
the poore wretches. Or, (now I thinke on't) I would, for 
one yeere, wish my selfe one woman, but the richest, 
fairest, and delicatest in a kingdome, the very center of 2°° 
wealth, and beautie, wherein all lines of loue should meet ; 
and in that person I would prooue all manner of suters, of 
all humours, and of all complexions, and neuer haue any 
two of a sort : I would see how Loue (by the power of his 
object) could worke inwardly alike, in a cholericke man, ^05 
and a sanguine; in a melancholique, and a phlegmatique ; 
in a foole, and a wise man; in a clowne, and a courtier; 
in a valiant man, and a coward: and how he could varie 
outward, by letting this gallant expresse himselfe in 
dumbe gaze; another with sighing, and rubbing his fin- 210 
gers; a third, with play-ends, and pittifuU verses; a fourth, 
with stabbing himselfe, and drinking healths, or writing 
languishing letters in his bloud; a fifth, in colour'd rib- 
bands, and good clothes; with this lord to smile, and that 
lord to court, and the t'other lord to dote, and one lord 215 



76 Cynthias Revels [act iiii 

to hang himselfe. And then, I to haue a booke made of all 
this, which I would call the booke of humours, and euery 
night reade a little piece, ere I slept, and laugh at it. 
Here comes Hedon. 



[221] Act IIII. Scene 1 1. 

Hedon, Anaides, Mercvrie, Phantaste, Phi- 

LAVTIA, MORIA, ARGVRION, CvPID. 

SAue you, sweet and cleere beauties : By the spirit that 
moues in me, you are all most pleasingly bestow'd, 
ladies. Onely, I can take it for no good omen, to find 
mine Honor so deiected. 
5 Phi. You need not feare, sir, I did of purpose humble 
my selfe against your comming, to decline the pride of my 
ambition. 

Hed. Faire Honor, Ambition dares not stoope; but if it 
be your sweet pleasure, I shall lose that title, I will (as 
10 I am Hedon) apply my selfe to your bounties. 

Phi. That were the next way to distitle my selfe of 
honor. O, no, rather be still ambitious, I pray you. 

Hed. I will be any thing that you please, whilst it 
pleaseth you to bee your selfe, ladie. Sweet Phantaste, 

15 deare Moria, most beautifuU Argvrion 

Ana. Farewell, Hedon. 
Hed. Anaides, stay, whither goe you? 
Ana. S'light, what should I doe here? and you 
engrosse 'hem all for your owne vse, 'tis time for me to 
20 seeke out. 

Hed. I, engrosse 'hem? Away, mischief e, this is one 

8CENA. 2. Q Act . . . Cvpid.] Enter Hedon, Anaides, and 

Mercury, who retires with Cupid to the hack of the stage, where they 
converse together. G 1 Hed. Q 



sc. ii] Cynthias Revels 77 

of your extrauagant iests now, because I began to salute 
'hem by their names 

Ana. Faith, you might haue sparde vs Madame Pru- 
dence, the Guardian there, though you had more couetous- ^5 
ly aym'd at the rest. 

Hed. S'heart, take 'hem all, man: what speake you to 
me of ayming, or couetous? 

Ana. I, say you so? nay, then, haue at 'hem: ladies, 
here's one hath distinguish'd you by your names alreadie. 30 
It shall onely become me, to aske, How you doe ? 

Hed. Gods so, was this the designe you trauaill'd with ? 

Ph A. Who answeres the brazen head ? it spoke to some 
bodie. 

Ana. Lady Wisedome, doe you interpret for these 35 
puppets ? 

MoR. In truth, and sadnesse [Honors) you are in 
great offence for this, goe too: the gentleman (I'le vnder- 
take with him) is a man of faire lining, and able to main- 
taine a ladie in her two carroches a day, besides pages, 40 
munkeys, and parachitos, with such attendants as shee 
shall thinke meet for her turne, and therefore there is 
more respect requirable, howsoere you seeme to conniue. 
Harke you, sir, let mee discourse a sillable with you. I am 
to say to you, these ladies are not of that close, and open 45 
behauiour, as happily you may suspend; their carriage is 
well knowne, to be such as it should be, both gentle and 
extraordinarie. 

Mer. O, here comes the other paire. 



33 Brazen head Q 40 carroches] Coaches Q, coaches G 



78 Cynthias Revels [act iiii 

[222] Act IIII. Scene 1 1 1 . 

Amorphvs,Asotvs,Hedon, An AIDES, Merc VRiE, 
CvpiD, Phantaste, Philavtia, Argvrion, 

MORIA. 

THat was your fathers loue, the Nymph Argvrion. 
I would haue you direct all your courtship thither, 
if you could but endeare your selfe to her affection, you 
were eternally en-gallanted. 
5 A so. In truth, sir? pray Phcebvs I proue fauour- 
some in her faire eyes. 

A MO. All diuine mixture, and increase of beautie to 
this bright beuy of ladies; and to the male-courtiers, 
complement, and courtesie. 
1° Hed. In the behalf e of the males, I gratifie you, Amor- 

PHVS. 

Pha. And I, of the females. 

A MO, Succinctly return'd. I doe vale to both your 
thankes, and kisse them: but primarily to yours, most 
'5 ingenious, acute, and polite ladie. 

Phi. Gods my life, how hee doe's all to bee qualifie her ! 
ingenious, acute, and polite? as if there were not others 
in place as ingenious, acute, and polite, as shee. 

Hed. Yes, but you must know, ladie, hee cannot 
2° speake out of a dictionarie method. 

Pha. Sit downe, sweet Amorphvs: When will this 
water come, thinke you? 

A MO. It cannot now be long, faire ladie. 

Cvp. Now obserue, Mercvry. 
25 A s o. How ? most ambiguous beautie ? loue you ? that I 
will by this hand-kercher. 

Mer. S'lid, he drawes his othes out of his pocket. 

SCENA. 3. Q Act . . . Moria.] Enter Amorphos and 

AsoTOS. 6 1 Amor. Q 13 return'd] spoken Q 



sc. Ill] Cynthias Revels 79 

Arc. But, will you be constant? 

A so. Constant, Madam? I will not say for constant- 
nesse, but by this purse (which I would be loth to sweare 30 
by, vnlesse 'twere embroider'd) I protest (more then most 
faire ladie) you are the onely, absolute, and vnparalelld 
creature, I doe adore, and admire, and respect, and reuer- 
ence in this court, comer of the world, or kingdome: Mee 
thinkes you are melancholy. as 

Arg. Do's your heart speake all this? 

A so. Say you? 

Mer. O, he is groping for another oth. 

A so. Now, by this watch (I marie how forward the 
day is) I doe vnfeignedly vow my selfe (s'light 'tis deeper 40 
then I tooke it, past fine) yours entirely addicted, Madame. 

Arg. I require no more, dearest Asoxvs, hence-forth 
let mee call you mine, and in remembrance of me, vouch- 
safe to weare this chaine, and this diamond. 

A so. O god, sweet ladie! |223] 

Cvp. There are new othes for him: what? doth Her- 
mes taste no alteration, in all this? 

Mer. Yes, thou hast strooke Argvrion inamour'd 
on AsoTVS, me thinkes. 

Cvp. Alas, no; I am no-body, I: I can doe nothing in 50 
this disguise. 

Mer. But thou hast not wounded any of the rest, 

CVPID? 

Cvp. Not yet: it is enough that I haue begun so pros- 
perously. 55 

Arg. Nay, these are nothing to the gems I will hourely 
bestow vpon thee : be but faithfull, and kind to me, and I 
will lade thee with my richest bounties : behold, here my 
bracelets, from mine armes, 

A so. Not so, good ladie. By this diamond. 60 

56 Nay] Tut Q 



8o Cynthias Revels [act iiii 

Arc. Take 'hem, weare 'hem: my iewels, chaine of 
pearle, pendants, all I haue. 

A so. Nay then, by this pearle, you make me a wanton. 
Cvp. Shall not shee answere for this, to maintayne him 
65 thus in swearing ? 

Mer. O, no, there is a way to weane him from this, the 
gentleman may be reclaim'd. 

Cvp. I, if you had the ayring of his apparell, couss', 
I thinke. 
70 A so. Louing? 'twere pitty I should be lining else, 
beleeue me. Saue you, sir. Saue you, sweet ladie. Saue 
you, Monsieur An aides. Saue you, deare Madame. 
Ana. Do'st thou know him that saluted thee, Hedon ? 
Hed. No, some idle Fvngoso, that hath got aboue 
75 the cup-board, since yesterday. 

Ana. S'lud, I neuer saw him till this morning, and he 
salutes me as familiarly, as if we had knowne together, 
since the deluge, or the first yeere of Troy-dLCiion. 
A MO. A most right-handed, and auspicious encounter. 
80 Confine your selfe to your fortunes. 

Phi. For sports sake, let's haue some riddles, or pur- 
poses; hough. 

Pha. No faith, your prophecies are best, the t'other 
are stale. 
85 Phi. Prophecies? we cannot all sit in at them; wee 
shall make a confusion. No; what calld you that we had 
in the fore-noone? 

Pha. Suhstantiues , and Adiectiues. 1st not Hedon? 
Phi. I, that, who begins? 
90 Pha. I haue thought; speake your Adiectiiies, sirs. 
Phi. But doe not you change, then? 



74-5 that . . . yesterday.] I warrant you. Q 76 'Sbloud Q 

78 deluge . . . Troy -Suction.l first yeare of the siege of Troy. Q 
81 sports] gods Q 82 hough.] ho! G 



sc. Ill] Cynthias Revels 8i 

Pha. Not I, who sales? 

MoR. Odoriferous. 

Phi. Popular. 

Arc. Humble. 95 

Ana. White-liuer'd. 

Hed. Barbarous. 

A MO. Pythagoricall. [224] 

Hed. Yours, Signior. 

A so. What must I doe, sir? 100 

A MO. Giue forth your Adiectiue, with the rest; as, 
prosperous, good, faire, sweet, well 

Hed. Any thing, that hath not beene spoken. 

A so. Yes, sir: well-spoken, shall be mine. 

Pha. What? ha' you all done? los 

All. I. 

Pha. Then the Sw^sifaw/z we is Breeches. Why odorif- 
erous Breeches, Guardian ? 

MoR. Odoriferous, because odoriferous; that which 
containes most varietie of sauour, and smell, we say is "o 
most odoriferous: now. Breeches I presume are incident 
to that varietie, and therefore odoriferous Breeches. 

Pha. Well, we must take it howsoeuer, who's next? 
Philavtia. 

Phi. Popular. us 

Pha. Why popular Breeches? 

Phi. Mary, that is, when they are not content to be 
generally noted in court, but will presse forth on common 
stages, and brokers stalls, to the publique view of the 
world. 120 

Pha. Good: why humble Breeches? Argvrion. 

Arc. Humble, because they vse to be sate vpon; 
besides, if you tie 'hem not vp, their propertie is to fall 
downe about your heeles. 

106 All.] Omnes. Q 



82 Cynthias Revels [act iiii 

"5 Mer. Shee has worne the breeches, it seemes, which 
haue done so. 

Pha. But why white-huer'd ? 

Ana. Why ? 'shart, are not their Hnings white ? besides, 
when they come in swaggering companie, and will pocket 
130 vp any thing, may they not properly be said to be white- 
liuer'd ? 

Pha. O, yes, wee must not denie it. And why barba- 
rous, He DON? 

Hed. Barbarous, because commonly, when you haue 
135 worne your breeches sufficiently, you giue them to your 
Barber. 

A MO. That's good: but now Pythagoricall? 
Pha. I, Amorphvs. Why Pythagoricall Breeches? 
A MO. O, most kindly of all, 'tis a conceit of that for- 
140 tune, I am bold to hug my braine for. 
Pha. How ist, exquisite Amorphvs? 
A MO. O, I am rapt with it, 'tis so fit, so proper, so 

happy 

Phi. Nay, doe not racke vs thus? 
145 A MO. I neuer truly relisht my selfe, before. Giue me 
your eares. Breeches Pythagoricall, by reason of their 
transmigration, into seuerall shapes. 

MoR. Most rare, m sweet troth. Mary, this young 

gentleman, for his well-spoken 

^50 Pha. I, why well-spoken Breeches? 
[225] A so. Well-spoken ? mary well-spoken, because — what- 
soeuer they speake, is well taken; and whatsoeuer is well 
taken, is well-spoken. 

MoR. Excellent! beleeue me. 
155 A so. Not so, ladies, neither. 
Hed. But why Breeches, now? 

132 must not] cannot Q 137 now] how 1692-G 



sc. Ill] Cynthias Revels 83 

Pha. Breeches, quasi beare-riches ; when a gallant 
beares all his riches in his breeches: 

A MO. Most fortunately etymology z'd. 

Pha. Nay, we haue another sport afore this, of A thing ^^o 
done, and, Who did it, &c. 

Phi. I, good Phantaste, let's haue that: Distribute 
the places. 

Pha. Why, I imagine, A thing done] Hedon thinkes, 
Who did it; Moria, With what it was done; Anaides, 165 
Where it was done; Argvrion, When it was done; 
Amorphvs, For what cause it was done; you Philav- 
Ti A , What followed vpon the doing of it ; and this gentleman, 
Who would haue done it better. What ? is't conceiu'd 
about ? 170 

All. Yes, yes. 

Pha. Then speake you, sir. Who would hatie done it 
better ? 

A so. How! do's it beginne at me. 

Pha. Yes, sir: This play is cal'd the Crab, it goes 175 
backward. 

A so. May I not name my selfe? 

Pha. If you please, sir, and dare abide the venture of it. 

A so. Then, I would haue done it better, what euer it is. 

Pha. No doubt on't, sir: a good confidence. What -^^o 
followed vpon the act, Philavtia? 

Phi. a few heate drops, and a moneths mirth. 

Pha. For what cause, Amorphvs? 

Amo. For the delight of ladies. 

Pha. When, Argvrion? 185 

Arg. Last progresse. 

Pha. Where, Anaides? 

Ana. Why, in a paire of pain'd slops. 

Pha. With what, Moria? 

159-203 om. Q 

¥2 



84 Cynthias Revels [act iiii 

190 MoR. With a glyster. 
Pha. Who, Hedon? 
Hed. a trauailer. 

Pha. Then, The thing done was, An oration was made. 
Rehearse. An oration was made. 
195 Hed. By a trauailer. 
MoR. With a glyster. 
Ana. In a paire of pain'd slops. 
Arg. Last progresse. 
Amo. For the delight of ladies. 
20° Phi. a few heat drops, and a moneths mirth followed. 
Pha. And, this silent gentleman would haue done it 
better. 
[226] A so. This was not so good, now. 

Phi. In good faith, these vnhappie pages would be 
2°5 whipt, for staying thus. 

MoR. Beshrew my hand, and my heart, else. 
Amo. I doe wonder at their protraction! 
Ana. Pray V e n v s , my whore haue not discouer 'd her 
selfe to the rascally boyes, and that be the cause of 
210 their stay. 

A so. I must sute my selfe with another page: this idle 
Prosaites will neuer be brought to wait well. 

MoR. Sir, I haue a kinsman I could willingly wish to 
your seruice, if you would deigne to accept of him. 
2^5 A so. And I shall bee glad (most sweet ladie) to im- 
brace him: where is hee? 

MoR. I can fetch him, sir, but I would bee loth to make 
you turne away your other page. 
A so. You shall not, most sufficient ladie, I will keepe 
220 both : pray you lets goe see him. 
Arg. Whither goes my loue? 

208 Venvs] God Q 220 Exeunt. Q 



sc. Ill] Cynthias Revels 85 

A so. He returne presently, I goe but to see a page, 
with this ladie. 

Ana. As sure as fate, 't is so; shee has opened all: 
A poxe of all cockatrices. Dam'me, if she haue plai'd loose 225 
with me, I'le cut her throat, within a haires breadth, so it 
may be heal'd againe. 

Mer. What, is he jealous of his Hermaphrodite? 

Cvp. O, I, this will be excellent sport. 

Phi. Phantaste! Argvrion! what? you are sod- ^30 
ainely strooke, me thinkes ! for loues sake let's haue some 
musike, till the}^ come. Ambition, reach the lyra, I 
pray you. 

Hed. Any thing to which my Honour shall direct mee. 

Phi. Come, Amorphvs, cheare vp Phantaste. 235 

A MO. It shall bee my pride, faire ladie, to attempt all 
that is in my power. But here is an instrument that 
(alone) is able to infuse soule in the most melancholique, 
and dull disposde creature vpon earth. O! let mee kisse 
thy faire knees. Beauteous eares attend it. 240 

Hed. Will you haue the Kisse, Honour? 

Phi. I, good Ambition. 



Song. 

O, That ioy so soone should waste! 
or so sweet a blisse 
as a kisse, 
Might not for euer last! 
So sugred, so melting, so soft, so delicious. 
The dew that lyes on roses, 
When the morne her selfe discloses, 
is not so precious. 

223 [Exeunt Asotits and Moria. G 227 Exit. Q 231 loues 
sake] Gods will Q haue] ha' Q 238 in] into 1640-G Song.] 
Ode. Q. 



86 Cynthias Revels [act iiii 

[227] 0, rather then I would it smother, 

Were I to taste such another; 

It should bee my wishing 
That I might dye, kissing. 

255 Hed. I made this dittie, and the note to it, vpon a 
kisse that my Honour gaue me; how hke you it, sir? 

A MO. A prettie ayre! in generall, I hke it well: but in 
particular, your long die-note did arride me most, but it 
was somwhat too long. I can shew one, almost of the 

260 same nature, but much before it, and not so long, in a 
composition of mine owne. I thinke I haue both the note, 
and dittie about me. 

Hed. Pray you, sir, see. 

A MO. Yes, there is the note; and all the parts if I mis- 

365 thinke not. I will read the dittie to your beauties here, 
but first I am to make you familiar with the oc- 
casion, which presents it selfe thus. Vpon a time, going 
to take my leaue of the Emperour, and kisse his great 
hands; there being then present, the kings of France, 

270 and Arragon, the dukes of Sauoy, Florence, Orleance, 
Bourbon, Brunswicke, the Lantgraue, Count Palatine, all 
which had seuerally feasted me; besides, infinite more of 
inferiour persons, as Counts and others : it was my chance 
the Emperour detain'd by some exorbitant affaire) to wait 

275 him the fift part of an houre, or much neere it. In which 
time (retyring my selfe into a bay-window) the beauteous 
ladie Annabell, neece to the Empresse, and sister to 
the King of Arragon, who hauing neuer before eyde mee, 
(but only heard the common report of my vertue, learn- 

280 ing, and trauaile) fell into that extremitie of passion, for 
my loue, that shee there immediately swouned : physicians 

254 with kissing G 270 Orleans W, G 273 Counts] 

Earles Q 274 exorbitant] other Q 276 the beauteous] I en- 
countred the Q 



sc. Ill] Cynthias Revels 87 

were sent for, she had to her chamber, so to her bed ; where 
(languishing some few daies) after many times calling 
vpon me, with my name in her lips, she expirde. As that 
(I must mourningly say) is the onely fault of my fortune, ^35 
that, as it hath euer beene my hap to be sew'd to, by all 
ladies, and beauties, where I haue come, so, I neuer yet 
sojourn'd, or rested in that place, or part of the world, 
where some high-borne admirable faire feature died not 
for my loue. 290 

Mer. O, the sweet power of trauaile! are you guiltie 
of this, CvPiD? 

Cvp. No, Mercvrie, and that his page (Cos) 
knowes, if he were here present to be sworne. 

Phi. But, how doth this draw on the dittie, sir? =95 

Mer. 0, she is too quicke with him ; he hath not deuis'd 
that yet. 

A MO. Mary, some houre before she departed, she be- 
queath'd to mee this gloue ; which golden legacie, the Em- 
perour himselfe tooke care to send after me, in sixe coaches, 300 
couer'd all with blacke vellet, attended by the state of his 
empire; all which he freely presented mee with, and I 
reciprocally (out of the same bountie) gaue to the lords 
that brought it: only reseruing the gift of the deceas'd 
ladie, vpon which I composde this ode, and set it to my 305 
most affected instrument, the lyra. 



T 



Song. [228] 

Hou more then most sweet gloue, 
Vnto my more sweet loue. 

Suffer me to store with kisses 

This emptie lodging, that now misses 310 



284 Kps] mouth Q 285 mourningly] needes Q 289 high-borne] 
great and Q feature] Creature Q 294 if] and Q 299 golden 
legacie] om. Q 302 presented mee with] gaue me Q 303 gaue 

it Q 304 reseruing] reseruing, and respecting Q Song] Ode Q 



88 Cynthias Revels [act illi 

The pure rosie hand, that ware thee, 
Whiter then the kid, that hare thee. 
Thou art soft, but that was softer; 
CVPIDS selfe hath kist it ofter, 
315 Then ere he did his mothers doues, 

Supposing her the Queene of loues, 
That was thy Mistresse, 
Best of gloues. 

Mer. Blasphemie, blasphemie, Cvpid. 
320 Cvp. I, rie reuenge it time inough; Hermes. 
Phi. Good Amorphvs, let's heare it sung. 
A MO. I care not to admit that, since it pleaseth Phi- 
LAVTIA to request it. 
Hed. Heere, sir. 
After he A MO. Nay, play it, I pray you, you doe well, you doe 

hath sung. ^^^ How like you it, sir? 

Hed. Verie well in troth. 

A MO. But very well? O, you are a meere mammo- 
thrept in judgement, then. Why, doe you not obserue how 
330 excellently the dittie is affected in euerie place ? that I 
doe not marrie a word of short quantitie to a long note ? 
nor an ascending sillable to a descending tone ? Besides, 
vpon the word [best) there, you see how I doe enter with 
an odde minnum, and driue it thorow the brief e, which no 
335 intelligent Musician (I know) but wil affirme to be verie 
rare, extraordinarie, and pleasmg. 

Mer. And yet not fit to lament the death of a ladie, for 
all this. 
Cvp. Tut, heere be they will swallow any thing. 
340 Pha. Pray you, let me haue a coppie of it, Amorphvs. 
Phi. And me too, in troth, I like it exceedmgly. 
A MO. I haue denied it to princes, neuerthelesse to you 

322 admit] do Q 325 {margin) After . . . sung.] He sings. Q 



sc. Ill] Cynthias Revels 89 

(the true female twinnes of perfection) I am wonne, to 
depart withall. 

Hed. I hope, I shall haue my Honours coppie. 345 

Pha. You are ambitious in that, Hedon. 

Amo. How now. An aides! what is it hath conjur'd Who is re- 
vp this distemperature in the circle of your face ? ^^eelin/k%" 

Ana. S'lood, what haue you to doe ? A pox vpo' your j>age. 
filthie trauailing face, hold your tongue. 350 

Hed. Nay, doo'st heare, mischief e? 

Ana. Away, muske-cat. 

Amo. I say to thee, thou art rude, debauch't, impudent, 
coorse, impolisht, a frapler, and base. 

Hed. Heart of my father, what a strange alteration [229] 
has halfe a yeeres haunting of ordinaries wrought in this 
fellow ! that came with a tuff-taffata ierkin to towne but 
the other day, and a paire of penilesse hose, and now he 
is turn'd Heecvles, he wants but a club. 

Ana. Sir, you with the pencill on your chinne; I will 3^° 
garter my hose with your guts, and that shall be all. 

Mer. S'lid, what rare fireworkes be heere ? flash, flash. 

Pha. What's the matter Hedon? can you tell? 

Hed. Nothing, but that hee lackes crownes, and 
thinkes weele lend him some, to be friends. 365 

A so. Come, sweet ladie, in good truth rie haue it, you Asotus re- 

iiiii- -n/r 1 iT Utrncs with 

shall not denie me. Morvs, perswade your aunt 1 may Moria, and 
haue her picture, by any meanes. Moms. 

MoR. Yes, sir: good aunt now, let him haue it, hee 
will vse mee the better, if you loue me, doe, good aunt. 37° 

MoR. Well, tell him, he shall haue it. 

MoR. Master, you shall haue it, she sales. 

346 Enter Anaides. Q 347-9 (margin) Who . . . page.] om. Q 

349 'Sblod Q vpo'] of God o' Q 350 face] Beard Q 

353 debauch't] om. Q 358 and . . . hose] om. Q 360 you . . . 

chinne] om. Q 361 Exit. Q 364 crownes] mony Q 

366-8 (margin) Asotus . . . Morus.] Enter Asot. Mor. Morus. Q 



go Cynthias Revels [act nil 

A so. Shall I? thanke her, good page. 

Cvp. What, has he entertain'd the foole} 
375 Mer. I, heele wait close, you shall see, though the 
begger hang off, a- while. 

MoR. Aunt, my master thankes you. 

MoR. Call him hither. 

MoR. Yes, master. 
380 MoR. Yes, in veritie, and gaue me this pursse, and he 
has promis'd me a most fine dogge; which he will haue 
drawne, with my picture, he saies: and desires most 
vehemently to bee knowne to your ladiships. 

Pha. Call him hither, 'tis good groping such a gull. 
385 MoR. Master Asotvs, master Asotvs. 

A so. For loues sake, let me goe: you see, I am call'd 
to the ladies. 

Arc. Wilt thou forsake me then? 

A so. God so, what would you haue me doe? 
390 MoR. Come hither, master Asotvs. I doe ensure your 
ladiships, he is a gentleman of a verie worthie desert : and 
of a most bountifull nature. You must shew and in- 
sinuate your selfe responsible, and equiualent now to my 
commendment. Good Honors, grace him. 
395 A so. I protest (more then most faire ladies) I doe wish 
all varietie of diuine pleasures, choice sports, sweet mu- 
sique, rich fare, braue attire, soft beds, and silken thoughts 
attend these faire beauties. Will it please your ladiship 
to weare this chaine of pearle, and this diamond, for my 
400 sake ? 

Arg. O. 

A so. And you, Madame, this iewell, and pendants. 

Arg. O. 

376 a- while] om. Q 380 veritie] very truth Q 382 he 

saies] om. Q 386 loues] Gods Q 389 Gods Q 

396-7 pleasure . . . sport . . . Attyres Q 



sc. Ill] Cynthias Revels 91 

Pha. Wee know not how to deserue these bounties, 
out of so sHght merit, Asotvs. 40s 

Phi. No, in faith, but there's my gloue for a fauour. [230] 

Pha. And soone, after the reuells, I will bestow a 
garter on you. 

A so. O Lord, ladies! it is more grace then euer I could 
haue hop'd, but that it pleaseth your ladiships to extend. 41° 
I protest, it is enough, that you but take knowledge of 

my if your ladiships want embroidered gownes, 

tires of any fashion, rebatu's, iewells, or carkanets, any 
thmg whatsoeuer, if you vouchsafe to accept. 

Cvp. And for it, they will helpe you to shooe-ties, 415 
and deuices. 

A so. I cannot vtter my selfe (deare beauties) but, you 
can conceiue 

Arg. O. 

Pha. Sir, we will acknowledge your seruice, doubt not : 420 
henceforth, you shall bee no more Asotvs to vs, but our 
gold-finch, and wee your cages. 

Aso. OVenvs, Madams! how shall I deserue this? 
if I were but made acquainted with He don, now, I'le 
trie: pray you away. 42s 

M E R. How he praies Money to goe away from him I 

Aso. Amorfhvs, a word with you: here's a watch 
I would bestow vpon you, pray you make me knowne to 
that gallant. 

A MO. That I will, sir. Monsieur Hedon, I must 430 
intreat you to exchange knowledge with this gentle- 
man. 

Hed. 'Tis a thing (next to the water we expect) I 
thirst after, sir. Good Monsieur Asotvs. 

Aso. Good Monsieur Hedon, I would be glad to be 435 
lou'd of men of your ranke, and spirit, I protest. Please 

423 Venvs] God Q 425 away \_To Argurion. G 



92 Cynthias Revels [act iiii 

you to accept this paire of bracelets, sir: they are not 

worth the bestowing 

Mer. O, Hercvles, how the gentleman purchases! 
440 this must needes bring Argvrion to a consumption. 
Hed. Sir, I shall neuer stand in the merit of such 
bountie, I feare. 

A so. O, Venvs, sir: your acquaintance shall bee 
sufficient. And if at any time you neede my bill, or my 
445 bond. 

0,6. 

Helpe the ladie there. 
Gods deare, Argvrion! Madame, how doe 



Argurion 


Arg. 


swounes. 


Amo. 






MOR. 






you? 




450 


Arg. 
Pha. 



Sicke. 

Haue her forth, and giue her aire. 
A so. I come againe strait, ladies. 
Mer. Well, I doubt, all the physique hee has will 
scarce recouer her: shee's too farre spent. 



[231] • Act IIII. Sce?ie i 1 1 i . 

Philavtia, Gelaia, Anaides, Cos, Prosaites, 
Phantaste, Moria, Amorphvs, Hedon. 

O Here's the water come: fetch glasses, page. 
Gel. Heart of my body, here's a coile indeed, 
with your iealous humours. Nothing but whore, and bitch, 
and all the villanous swaggering names you can thinke on ? 
5 S'lid, take your bottle, and put it in your guts for me, 
rie see you poxt ere I follow you any longer. 

Ana. Nay, good punke, sweete rascall; dam' mee, if I 
am iealous now. 

443 Venvs] Lord Q 454 Exeunt Asotus, Morus, Argurion. Q 

SCENA. 4. Q Act . . . Hedon.] Re-enter Anaides with 

Gelaia, Prosaites, and Cos, with the bottles. G I Phi. Q 



sc. iiii] Cynthias Revels 93 

Gel. That's true indeede: pray let's goe. 

MoR. What's the matter, there? '° 

Gel. S'hght, he has mee vpon intergatories, (nay, my 
mother shall know how you vse me) where I haue beene ? 
and, why I should stay so long ? and, how ist possible ? 
and withall, calls me at his pleasure, I know not how 
many cockatrices, and things. 15 

M o R. In truth and sadnesse, these are no good epitaphs, 
Anaides, to bestow vpon any gentlewoman; and (He 
ensure you) if I had knowne you would haue dealt thus 
with my daughter, she should neuer haue fancied you so 
deeply, as shee has done. Goe too. 2° 

Ana. Why, doe you heare, mother Mori A. Heart! 

MoR. Nay, I pray you, sir, doe not sweare. 

Ana. Sweare ? why ? S'lood, I haue swome afore now, 
I hope. Both you and your daughter mistake me. I haue 
not honor'd Arete, that is held the worthiest ladie in 25 
court (next to Cynthia) with halfe that obseruance, and 
respect, as I haue done her in priuate, howsoeuer outward- 
ly I haue carried my selfe carelesse, and negligent. Come, 
you are a foolish punke, and know not when you are well 
imploi'd. Kisse me, come on. Doe it, I say. 30 

MoR. Nay, indeed I must confesse, shee is apt to 
misprision. But I must haue you leaue it, minion. 

A MO. How now, Asotvs? how do's the ladie? 

A so. Faith, ill. I haue left my page with her, at her 
lodging. 35 

Hed. O, here's the rarest water that euer was tasted: 
fill him some. 

Pro. What! has my master a new page? 

Mer. Yes, a kinsman of the ladie Mori as: you must 
waite better now, or you are casheer'd, Prosaites. 40 

Ana. Come, gallants, you must pardon my foolish 

16 epitaphs] Epithites Q 23 Sblood Q 25 in] in the Q 

32 Enter Asottis. Q 



94 Cynihias Revels [act iiii 

humour : when I am angrie, that any thing crosses mee, I 
grow impatient straight. Here, I drinke to you. 

Phi. O, that we had fine, or sixe bottles more of this 
45 liquor. 
[232] Pha. Now I commend your iudgement, Amorphvs, 
who's that knockes ? Looke, page. 

MoR. O, most delicious, a little of this would make 
Argvrion well. 
5° Pha. O, no, giue her no cold drinke, by any meanes. 
Ana. S'lood, this water is the spirit of wine, I'le be 
hang'd else. 

Cvp. Here's the ladie Arete, Madame. 



Act IIII. Scene v. 

Arete, Moria, Phantaste, Philavtia, An- 

aides,Gelaia, Cos, Prosaites, Amorphvs, Aso- 

Tvs, Hedon, Mercvrie, Cvpid. 

A^/Hat ! at your beuer, gallants ? 

Mor. Wilt please your ladiship drinke? tis of 
the new fountayne water. 

Are. Not I, Moria, I thanke you. Gallants, you are 

5 for this night free, to your peculiar delights; Cynthia 
will haue no sports: when shee is pleas'd to come forth, 
you shall haue knowledge. In the meane time, I could 
wish you did prouide for solemne reuels, and some vn- 
look't-for deuice of wit, to entertaine her, against she should 

lo vouchsafe to grace your pastimes with her presence. 

46 Axnoriphus:— [knocking within.'] G 47 [Exit. Cos. G 

51 Sblood Q 52 else. Re-enter Cos with Abete. G SCENA. 5. Q 
Act . . . Cvpid.] om. G 1 Arete. Q 2 diinke] to drinke 

1640-G 4-10 are . . . presence.] must prouide for some solemne 

Reuels to night, Cynthia is minded to come foorth, and grace your 
sports with her presence; therefore I could wish there were some 
thing extraordinary to entertaine her. Q 



sc. v] Cynthias Revels 95 

A MO. What say you to a Masque} 

Hed. Nothing better, if the proiect were new, and rare. 

Are. Why, He send for C rites, and haue his aduice; 
be you ready in your indeauours : He shall discharge you 
of the inuentiue part. ^s 

Pha. But, will not your ladiship stay? 

Are. Not now, Phantaste. 

Phi. Let her goe, I pray you, good ladie Sobrietie, I am 
glad wee are rid of her. 

Pha. What a set face the gentlewoman has, as shee ^° 
were still going to a sacrifice? 

Phi. O, shee is the extraction of a dozen of Puritans, 
for a looke. 

Mor. Of all Nymphs i' the court, I cannot away with 
her; 'tis the coursest thing 25 

Phi. I wonder, how Cynthia can affect her so aboue 
the rest ! Here be they are euery way as faire as shee, and 
a thought fairer, I trow. 

Pha. I, and as ingenious, and conceited as shee. 

Mor. I, and as politique as shee, for all shee sets such 30 
a fore-head on't. 

Phi. Would I were dead, if I would change to be 
Cynthia. 

Pha. Or I. 

Mor. Or I. 3s 

Amo. And there's her minion Crites! why his aduice 
more then Amorphvs? haue not I inuention, afore him ? 
Learning, to better that inuention, aboue him ? and inf ant- 
ed, with pleasant trauaile [233] 

Ana. Death, what talke you of his learning ? he vnder- 40 
stands no more then a schoole-boy; I haue put him 
downe my selfe a thousand times (by this aire) and yet 

12 the] the Inuention or Q 14 be you] you will be Q 

14-5 He . . . part.] om. Q 16 But] Yes; but Q 17 Exit. Q 

37 not I] I not Q 38-9 infanted . . . pleasant] om. Q 



96 Cynthias Revels [act nil 

I neuer talkt with him but twice, in my Ufe: you neuer 
saw his hke. I could neuer get him to argue with me, but 

45 once, and then, because I could not construe an Author I 
quoted at first sight, hee went away, and laught at me. 
By Hercvles, I scorne him, as I doe the sodden Nymph, 
that was here e'en now, his mistris Arete: And I loue 
my selfe for nothing else. 

50 Hed. I wonder the fellow do's not hang himselfe, 
being thus scom'd, and contemn'd of vs that are held the 
most accomplisht societie of gallants ! 
Mer. By your selues, none else. 
Hed. I protest, if I had no musique in me, no court- 

55 ship, that I were not a reueller and could dance, or had 
not those excellent qualities that giue a man life, and 
perfection, but a meere poore scholer as he is, I thinke 
I should make some desperate way with my selfe, whereas 
now (would I might neuer breathe more) if I doe know 

60 that creature in this kingdome, with whom I would 
change. 

Cvp. This is excellent: well, I must alter all this soone. 
Mer. Looke you doe, C v p i d. The bottles haue wrought, 
it seemes. 

65 Aso. O, I am sorry the reuels are crost. I should ha' 
tickled it soone. I did neuer appeare till then. S'lid, I am 
the neatlyest-made gallant 1' the companie, and haue the 

best presence ; and my dancing well, I know what our 

vsher said to me, last time I was at the schoole : would I 

70 might haue lead PniLAVTiAin the measures, and it had 
beene the gods will. I am most worthy, I am sure. 

45-6 an . . . quoted] a peece of Horace Q 47 Hercvles] Gods 
willQ 48 euen Q 62 all] om. Q 63-4 The . . . seemes.] 

om. Q 65 I . . . crost.] om. Q should ha' tickled] shall 

tickle Q 68 weU] om. Q our] the Q 69 the last Q 

70 haue lead] leade Q measure Q it . . . gods] 'tweere 

gods Q 71 Enter Morus. Q 



sc. v] Cynthias Revels 97 

MoRVS. Master, I can tell you newes, the ladie kist 
mee yonder, and plaid with me, and sayes shee lou'd you 
once, as well as shee do's me, but that you cast her off. 

A so. Peace, my most esteemed page. 75 

MoRVS. Yes. 

A so. What lucke is this, that our reuels are dasht? 
Now was I beginning to glister, i' the very high way of 
preferment. And Cynthia had but scene me dance a 
straine, or doe but one trick, I had beene kept in court, so 
I should neuer haue needed to looke towards my friends 
againe. 

A MO. Containe your selfe. You were a fortunate yong 
man, if you knew your owne good: which I haue now 
proiected, and will presently multiply vpon you. Beauties, ss 
and Valors, your vouchsaf'd applause to a motion. The 
humorous Cynthia hath, for this night, with-drawne 
the light of your de-light 

Pha. Tis true Amorphvs, what may we doe to 
redeeme it ? 9° 

A MO. Redeeme that we cannot, but, to create a new 
flame, is in our power. Here is a gentleman my scholer, 
whom (for some priuate reasons me specially mouing) 
I am couetous to gratifie with title of Master, in the noble, [234] 
and subtile science of Courtship : For which grace, he shall 95 
this night in court, and in the long gallery, hold his pub- 
lique Act, by open challenge, to all Masters of the mysterie 
whatsoeuer, to play at the foure choice, and principall 
weapons thereof, viz. the bare Accost, the better Regard, 
the solemne Addresse, and the perfect Close. What say you ? 100 

All. Excellent, excellent, Amorphvs. 

A MO. Well, let vs then take our time by the fore-head: 
I will instantly haue bills drawne, and aduanc'd in euery 

77-101 om. Q 102 Well . . . time] Gallants, thinke vpon your 
Time, and take it Q 103-4 I . . . ioy] om. Q 

G 



g8 Cynthias Revels [act iiii 

angle of the court. Sir, betray not your too much ioy. 
1^5 An AIDES, wee must mixe this gentleman with you in 
acquaintance, Monsieur A sot vs. 

Ana. I am easily intreated to grace any of your friends, 
Amorphvs. 

A so. Sir, and his friends shall likewise grace you, sir. 
no Nay, I begin to know my selfe, now. 

Amo. O, you must continue your bounties. 

A s o. Must I ? why, I'le giue him this ruby on my finger. 

Doe you heare, sir ? I doe heartily wish your acquaintance, 

and I partly know my selfe worthy of it ; please you, sir, 

"5 to accept this poore ruby, in a ring, sir. The poesie is 

of my owne deuice. Let this blush for me, sir. 

Ana. So it must for me, too. For I am not asham'd 
to take it. 

MoRVS. Sweet man! by my troth, master, I loue you, 

I20 will you loue me, too ? for my aunts sake ? He waite well, 

you shall see. He still bee here. Would I might neuer 

stirre, but you are a fine man in these clothes. Master, 

shall I haue 'hem, when you haue done with them ? 

A so. As for that, Morvs, thou shalt see more here- 

125 after: in the meane time, by this aire, or by this feather. 

He doe as much for thee, as any gallant shall doe for his 

page, whatsoeuer, in this court, corner of the world, or 

kingdome. 

Mer. I wonder, this gentleman should affect to keepe 
130 a foole ! mee thinkes, he makes sport enough with himselfe. 

Cvp. Well, Prosaites, 'twere good you did waite 
closer. 

Pro. I, He looke to it; 'tis time. 

112 finger.] finger. Hed. Come Ladies; but stay we shall want 
one to Lady it in our Masque in place of Argurion. Anai. Why 
my page shall do it, Gelaia. Hed. Troth and he'le do it weU, it shalbe 
so. Exeunt. Q 118 Exit. Q 122-3 a . . . them?] in gay 

clothes. Q 128 Exeunt. Q [Exeunt all hut the Pages. G 



sc. v] Cynthias Revels 99 

Cos. The reuels would haue beene most sumptuous to 
night, if they had gone forward. ^35 

Mer. They must needs, when al the choisest singular- 
ities of the court were vp in pantofles; ne're a one of them, 
but was able to make a whole shew of it selfe. 

A so. Sirrah, a torch, a torch. Within. 

Pro. O, what a call is there! I will haue a canzonet 140 
made, with nothing in it, but sirrah ; and the burthen shall 
be, I come. 

Mer. How now, C v p i d , how doe you like this change ? 

Cvp. Faith, the thred of my deuice is crackt, I may 
goe sleepe till the reuelling musique awake me. 145 

Mer. And then too, Cvpid, without you had preuent- 
ed the Fountayne. Alas, poore god, that remembers not 
selfe-Loue, to bee proofe against the violence of his [235] 
quiuer ! Well, I haue a plot vpon these prizers, for which, 
I must presently find out C r i te s , and with his assistance, 150 
pursue it to a high straine of laughter, or Mercvrie 
hath lost of his mettall. 



Act V. Scene i . 

Mercvrie, Crites. 

IT is resolu'd on, Crites, you must doe it. 
C R I . The grace diuinest Mercvrie hath done me. 
In this vouchsafde discouerie of himselfe. 
Binds my obseruance in the vtmost terme 
Of satisfaction, to his godly will: 
Though I professe (without the affectation 

134-6 The . . . forward.] Wee are like to haue sumptuous Reuells 
to night Sirs. Q 135 Exit. Q 136 They] We Q 137 were] 

are Q 138 was] is Q 139 (margin) Within.'] Hedon within. Q 
142 Exeunt Omnes. Q [Exit. G 4. 5. 143- 5. 5. 1] om. Q 

162 [Exeunt. G The same. Enter, etc. G 

G2 



100 Cynthias Revels [act v 

Of an enforc'd, and form'd austeritie) 

I could be willing to enioy no place 

With so vnequall natures. Mer. We beleeue it. 
1° But for our sake, and to inflict iust paines 

On their prodigious follies, aide vs now: 

No man is, presently, made bad, with ill. 

And good men, like the sea, should still maintaine 

Their noble taste, in midst of all fresh humours, 
IS That flow about them, to corrupt their streames, 

Bearing no season, much lesse salt of goodnesse. 

It is our purpose, C rites, to correct, 

And punish, with our laughter, this nights sport 

Which our court-Dors so heartily intend: 
2° And by that worthy scorne, to make them know 

How farre beneath the dignitie of man 

Their serious, and most practis'd actions are. 

Cri. I, but though Mercvrie can warrant out 

His vnder-takings, and make all things good, 
25 Out of the powers of his diuinitie, 

Th'offence will be return'd with weight on me, 

That am a creature so despisde, and poore; 

When the whole Court shall take it selfe abusde 

By our ironicall confederacie. 
30 Mer. You are deceiu'd. The better race in court 

That haue the true nobilitie, call'd vertue, 

Will apprehend it, as a gratefull right 

Done to their separate merit: and approue 

The fit rebuke of so ridiculous heads, 
35 Who with their apish customes, and forc'd garbes, 

Would bring the name of courtier in contempt, 

Did it not Hue vnblemisht in some few, 
[236] Whom equall Iove hath lou'd, and Phcebvs form'd 

Of better mettall, and in better mould. 
40 Cri. Well, since my leader on is Mercvrie, 

I shall not feare to follow. If I fall. 



sc. ii] Cynthias Revels loi 

My proper vertue shall be my reliefe, 

That follow'd such a cause, and such a chiefe. 



Act V. Sce?ie 1 1 . 
ASOTVS, Amorphvs. 

NO more, if you loue mee, good master, you are in- 
compatible to hue withall : Send mee for the ladies. 

A MO. Nay, but intend me. 

A so. Feare me not, I warrant you, sir. 

A MO. Render not your selfe a refractarie, on the sod- s 
aine. I can allow well, you should repute highly, heartily 
(and to the most) of your own endowments; it giues you 
forth to the world the more assur'd : but with reseruation 
of an eye, to be alwaies tum'd dutifully back vpon your 
teacher. ^° 

A so. Nay, good, sir, leaue it to mee. Trust mee with 
trussing all the points of this action, I pray. S'lid, I hope 
we shall find wit to performe the science, as well as another. 

A MO. I confesse you to be of an aped, and docible 
humour. Yet, there are certaine puntilioes, or (as I may 15 
more nakedly insinuate them) certaine mtrinsecate strokes, 
and wardes, to which your actiuitie is not yet amounted. 
As your gentile dor, in colours. For supposition, your 
mistris appeares heere in prize, ribbanded with greene, and 
yellow; now it is the part of euery obsequious seruant, 20 
to be sure to haue daily about him copie, and varietie of 
colours, to be presently answerable to any hourely, or 
half-hourely change in his mistris reuolution. 

A so. (I know it, sir. 

Amo. Giue leaue, I pray you) which if your Antagonist, 25 

43 [Exeunt. Another Room in the same. Enter, etc. G 

14 aped] apted W, G 



102 Cynthias Revels [act v 

or player-against-you shall ignorantly be without, and 
your selfe can produce; you giue him the dor. 
A so. I, I, sir. 

A MO. Or, if you can possesse your opposite, that the 

3° greene your mistris weares, is her reioycing or exultation 

in his seruice ; the yellow, suspicion of his truth, (from her 

height of affection :) and that he (greenly credulous) shall 

withdraw thus, in priuate, and from the aboundance of 

his pocket (to displace her jelous conceit) steale into his 

35 hat the colour, whose bluenesse doth expresse truenesse, 

(shee being nor so, nor so affected) you giue him the dor. 

A so. Doe not I know it, sir? 

A MO. Nay, good swell not aboue your vnder- 

standing. There is yet a third dor, in colours. 
^° A so. I know it too, I know it. 
[237] A MO. Doe you know it too? what is it? Make good 
your knowledge. 

A so. Why it is no matter for that. 

A MO. Doe it, on poene of the dor. 
45 A so. Why? what is't, say you? 

A MO. Loe, you haue giuen your selfe the dor. But I 
will remonstrate to you the third dor; which is not, as the 
two former dors, indicatiue, but deliberatiue : As how? 
As thus. Your Riualis, with a dutifull, and serious care, 
50 lying in his bed, meditating how to obserue his mistris, 
dispatcheth his lacquay to the chamber, early, to know 
what her colours are for the day; with purpose to apply 
his weare that day, accordingly: You lay wait before, 
preoccupie the chamber- maide, corrupt her, to returne 
55 false colours ; He followes the fallacie ; comes out accoutred 
to his beleeu'd instructions; your mistresse smiles; and 
you giue him the dor. 

A so. Why, so I told you, sir, I knew it. 
A MO. Tolde mee ? It is a strange outrecuidance ! your 
60 humour too much redoundeth. 



sc. Ill] Cynthias Revels 103 

A so. Why, sir, what, doe you thinke you know more ? 

A MO. I know that a cooke may as soone, and properly 
be said to smel wel, as you to be wise. I know these are 
most cleere, and cleane strokes. But then, you haue your 
passages, and imhroccata's in courtship; as the hitter Bob ^s 
in wit ; the Reuerse in face, or wry-mouth ; and these more 
subtle, and secure offenders. I will example vnto you. 
Your opponent makes entrie, as you are ingag'd with your 
mistresse. You seeing him, close in her eare, with this 
whisper (here comes your Bahion, disgrace him) and with- 7° 
all, stepping off, fall on his bosome, and turning to her, 
politiquely, aloud say, ladie, reguard this noble gentleman, 
a man rarely parted, second to none in this court; and 
then, stooping ouer his shoulder, your hand on his brest, 
your mouth on his back-side, you gme him the Reuerse 75 
stroke, with this Sanna, or Storkes-bill, which makes vp 
your wits Boh, most bitter. 

A so. Nay, for heauens sake, teach me no more. I 
know all as well — S'lid, if I did not, why was I nomin- 
ated ? why did you chuse mee ? why did the ladies pricke 30 
out mee ? I am sure there were other gallants. But me 
of all the rest ? By that light, and as I am a courtier, 
would I might neuer stirre, but 't is strange. Would to 
the lord, the ladies would come once. 



Act V. Scene 1 1 1 . 

Morphides,Amorphvs,Asotvs,Hedon, Anaides, 

The Throng. Ladies, Citizen, Wife, Pages, 

Taylor, Mercer, Perfvmer, Jeweller, &c. 

Olgnior, the gallants and ladies are at hand. Are you 
readie, sir? 
A MO. Instantly. Goe, accomplish your attire: Cousin 

Act . . . &c.] Enter Morphides. G 3 attire: {Exit Asottis G 



104 Cynthias Revels [act v 

MoRPHiDES, assist me, to make good the doore with your 
5 officious tyrannic. 
[238] CiT. By your Icaue my masters there, pray you let's 
come by. 

Pag. You by ? why should you come by, more then we ? 
WiF. Why, sir ? Because he is my brother, that playes 
1° the prizes. 

MoR. Your brother? 

CiT. I, her brother, sir, and we must come in. 
Tay. Why, what are you? 
CiT. I am her husband, sir. 
15 Tay. Then thrust forward your head. 
A MO. What tumult is there? 

MoR. Who's there? beare backe there. Stand from 
the doore. 
Amo. Enter none but the ladies, and their hang-bies; 
2o welcome Beauties, and your kind Shadowes. 

Hed. This countrie ladie, my friend, good signior 
Amorphvs. 

Ana. And my cockatrice, heere. 
Amo. She is welcome. 
25 MoR. Knocke those same pages there; and goodman 
Cockescombe the cittizen, who would you speake withall ? 
Amo. With whom? your brother? 
MoR. Who is your brother? 

Amo. Master a sot vs? Is hee your brother ? Hee is 
30 taken vp with great persons. Hee is not to know you 
to night. 

6 Citizen [within.'] O 8 Pages [within.li G 9 Citizen's 

Wife [within.] O 12 Citizen [within.] G 13 Tailor [within.] 

G 14 Citizen [within.] 15 Tailor [within.] 19 hang- 

byes. [Enter Phantaste, Philautia, Argurion, Moria, Hedon 
and Anaides, introducing two Ladies.] G 24 The Citizen 

and his Wife, Pages, &c., appear at the door. G 26 withal? 

Wife. My brother. G 31 night. Re-enter Asotds, hastily. 



sc. Ill] Cynthias Revels 105 

Aso. OIovE, master! and there come ere a cittizen 
gentlewoman in my name, let her haue entrance, I pray 
you. It is my sister. 

WiF. Brother. 35 

CiT. Brother, master Aso TVS. 

Aso. Who's there? 

WiF. 'Tis I, brother. 

Aso. Gods me! There she is, good master, intrude her. 

MoR. Make place. Beare backe there. 40 

A MO. Knocke that simple fellow, there. 

WiF. Nay, good sir; It is my husband. 

MoR. The simpler fellow hee. Away, backe with your 
head, sir. 

Aso. Brother, you must pardon your non-entry: 45 
Husbands are not allow'd here in truth. lie come home 
soone with my sister; pray you meet vs with a lanthorn, 
brother. Be merrie, sister: I shall make you laugh anon. 

Pha. Your prizer is not readie Amorphvs. 

A MO. Apprehend your places, hee shall be soone; and 50 
at all points. 

Ana. Is there any body come to answer him ? Shal we 
haue any sport. 

A MO. Sport of importance; howsoeuer, giue me the 
gloues. 55 

Hed. Gloues! why gloues, Signiorl 

Phi. What's the ceremonie? He du- 

Amo. Besides their receiu'd fitnesse, at all prizes, they ^^'^"^« 

■* "^ gioues 

are here properly accommodate to the nuptials of my 
schollers hauiour to the ladie courtship. Please you apparell 60 
your hands. Madam Phantaste, madam Philavtia, 
Guardian, Signior H E D o N, Signior A N A i D E s , Gentlemen 
aU, Ladies. 
All. Thankes, good Amorphvs. [239] 

36 Cit. [thrubting in.'] G 40 there! Enter Citizen'' s Wife. G 

44 sir! [Pushes the Citizen hack. G 48 [Exit. G 



io6 Cynthias Revels [act v 

65 A MO. I will now call forth my prouost, and present him. 
Ana. Heart! why should not we be masters, aswell 
as he? 

Hed. That's true, and play our masters prizes, as well 
as the t'other? 
70 MoR. In sadnesse, for vsing your court-weapons, me 
thinks, you may. 

Pha. Nay, but why should not wee ladies play our 
prizes, I pray ? I see no reason, but we should take 'hem 
downe, at their owne weapons. 
75 Phi. Troth, and so we may, if we handle 'hem well. 
WiF. I indeed, forsooth, Madame, if 'twere i' the citie, 
wee would thinke foule scorne, but we would, forsooth. 
Pha. Pray you, what should we call your name? 
WiF. My name is, Downefall. 
80 Hed. Good mistris Downejalll I am sorry, your hus- 
band could not get in. 

WiF. 'Tis no matter for him, sir. 
Ana. No, no, shee has the more hberty for her selfe. 
A floiirisii. Pha. Peace, peace: They come. 

85 A MO. So. Keepe vp your ruffe: the tincture of your 
necke is not all so pure, but it will aske it. Maintayne 
your sprig vpright; your cloke on your halfe-shoulder 
falling; So: I will reade your bill, aduance it, and present 
you. Silence. 

The chai- Be it kfiowne to all that prof esse courtship, by these presents 
'^""^ if^om the white sattin reueller, to the cloth of tissue, and 
bodkin) that we, Vl ysses-Polytropvs-Amorphvs, 
Master of the noble, and subtile science of courtship, doe 
giue leaue and licence to our Prouost, Acolastvs- 
95 Polypragmon-Asotvs, to play his Masters prize, 
against all Masters whatsoeuer in this subtile mysterie, at 

65 Exit. G 84 Re-enter Amorphds, introducing Asotds 

in a full-dress suit. G 



sc. Ill] Cynthias Revels 107 

these foure, the choice, and most cunning weapons of court- 
complement, viz. the bare Accost; the better Reguard; the 
solemne Addresse ; and the perfect Close. These are there- 
fore to giue notice, to all commers, that hee, the said A CO- 1°° 
LASTVS-PoLYPRAGMON-AsoTVS, is here present {by 
the helpe of his Mercer, Taylor, Millaner, Sempster, and so 
forth) at his designed houre, in this faire gallery, the present 
day of this present moneth, to performe, and doe his vttermost 
for the atchieuement, and hearing away of the prizes, which 105 
are these : viz. for the bare Accost, two Wall-eyes, in a face 
forced: For the better Reguard, a Face fauourably sim- 
pring, with a Fanne wauing : For the solemne Addresse, two 
Lips wagging, and neuer a wise word: For the perfect Close, 
a Wring by the hand, with a Banquet in a corner. And "o 
Phcebvs saue Cynthia. 

Appeareth no man yet, to answere the prizer ? No voice ? 
Musique, giue them their summons. Musique 

^ ° sounds. 

Pha. The solemnity of this is excellent. 

A MO. Silence. Well, I perceiue your name is their 115 
terror; and keepeth them backe. 

A so. I faith. Master, Let's goe: no body comes. 

Victus, victa, victum: Victi, victcB, victi Let's bee 

retrograde. [240] 

A MO. Stay. That were dispunct to the ladies. Rather, 120 
our selfe shall be your Encounter. Take your state, vp, to 
the wall : And, ladie, may we implore you to stand forth, 
as first terme, or bound to our courtship. 

Hed. 'Fore heauen, 'twill shew rarely. a charge. 

A MO. Sound a charge. 125 

Ana. a poxe on't. Your vulgar will count this fabu- 
lous, and impudent, now: by that candle, they'le ne're 
conceit it. 

Pha. Excellent well! Admirable! 

122 lady, [leading Moria to the state.'[ G 



io8 



Cynthias Revels 



[act V 



They act their 
accost scuera Uy 
to the lady that 
stands forth. 



Phi. Peace. 

Hed. Most fashionably, beleeue it. 
Phi. O, he is a well-spoken gentleman. 
Pha. Now the other. 
Phi. Very good. 
135 Hed. For a Scholer, Honor. 

Ana. O, 'tis too dutch. He reeles too much. 
A flourish. Hed. This weapon is done. 

A MO. No, we haue our two bouts, at euery weapon, 
expect. 



VV 



Act V. Scene 1 1 1 1 . 

To them. CrITES, MeRCVRIE. 

Here be these gallants, and their braue prizer 
here? 
MoRP. Who's there? beare backe: Keepe the dore. 
Amor. What are you, sir? 
5 Crit. By your licence, grand-master. Come forward, 
sir. 

Anai. Heart! who let in that rag there, amongst vs? 
put him out, an impecunious creature. 
Hedo. Out with him. 
10 MoRP. Come, sir. 

Amor. You must be retrograde. 
Crit. Soft, sir, 1 am Truckman, and doe flourish 
before this Monsieur, or jrench-be\i3M' 6. gentleman, here ; 
who is drawne hither by report of your chartells, aduanced 
15 in court, to proue his fortune with your prizer, so he may 
haue faire play shewne him, and the libertie too choose 
his stickler. 
Amor. Is he a Master? 



Act . . . Mercvrie.] om. G 1 Cri. [within.] G 3 Enter C rites, 
introdticing Mercury, fantastically dressed. G 6 [To Mercdry. G 



sc. iiii] Cynthias Revels 109 

Crit. That, sir, he has to shew here; and, confirmed 
vnder the hands of the most skilful!, and cunning comple- ^o 
mentaries aliue: please you reade, sir. 

Amor. What shall we doe? 

Anai. Death, disgrace this fellow i' the blacke-stuffe, 
what euer you doe. 

Amor. Why, but he comes with the stranger. 25 

He DO. That's no matter. He is our owne countryman. 

Ana. I, and he is a scholer besides. You may disgrace [241" 
him here, with authoritie. 

A MO. Well, see these first. 

A so. Now shall I be obseru'd by yon'd scholer, till 1 3° 
sweat againe; I would to Iovb, it were ouer. 

Cri. Sir, this is the wight of worth, that dares you to 
the encounter. A gentleman of so pleasing, and ridiculous 
a carriage; as, euen standing, carries meat in the mouth, 
you see; and I assure you, although no bred courtling, 35 
yet a most particular man, of goodly hauings, well 
fashion'd hauiour, and of as hard'ned, and excellent a 
barke, as the most naturally-qualified amongst them, 
inform'd, reform'd, and transform'd, from his originall 
citticisme, by this elixir, or meere magazine of man. And, '^° 
for your spectators, you behold them, what they are: 
The most choice particulars in court : This tels tales well ; 
This prouides coaches; This repeates iests; This presents 
gifts ; This holds vp the arras ; This takes downe from horse ; 
This protests by this light; This sweares by that candle; 45 
This delighteth; This adoreth. Yet, all but three men. 
Then for your ladies, the most proud wittie creatures, all 
things apprehending, nothing vnderstanding, perpetually 
laughing, curious maintayners of fooles, mercers, and min- 
strels, costly to be kept, miserably keeping, all disdayning, 5° 
but their painter, and pothecary, twixt whom and them 

25 \Qives him a certificate. G 32 Cri. [to Mercury.] G 



no Cynthias Revels [act v 

there is this reciprock commerce, their beauties maintaine 
their painters, and their painters their beauties. 

Mer. Sir, you haue plaid the painter your selfe, and 
55 limb'd them to the hfe. I desire to deserue before 'hem. 
Hauing read A MO. This is authentiquc . Wee must resolue to entertaine 
the certificate. ^^ MonsieuY, howsocuer we neglect him. 

Hed. Come, let's all goe together, and salute him. 
Ana. Content, and not looke o' the other. 
6° A MO. Well deuis'd: and a most punishing disgrace. 
Hed. On. 

A MO. Monsieur. We must not so much betray our 

selues to discourtship , as to suffer you to be longer vn- 

saluted: Please you to vse the state, ordain'd for the 

65 opponent; in which nature, without enuy we receiue 

you. 

Hed. And embrace you. 
Ana. And commend vs to you, sir. 
Phi. Beleeue it, he is a man of excellent silence. 
70 Pha. He keepes all his wit for action. 

Ana. This hath discountenanc'd our scholaris, most 
richly. 

Hed. Out of all emphasis. The Monsieur sees, we 
regard him not. 
75 A M o. Hold on : make it knowne how bitter a thing it is, 
not to bee look't on in court. 

Hed. S'lud, will he call him to him yet? doe's not 
Monsieur perceiue our disgrace? 

Ana. Hart! he is a foole, I see. Wee haue done our 
80 selues wrong to grace him. 
242] Hed. S'light, what an asse was I, to embrace him? 

Cri. Illustrous, and fearefull iudges 

Hed. Turne away, tume away. 
Cri. It is the sute of the strange opponent (to whom 
85 you ought not to turne your tailes, and whose noses I 
must follow) that he may haue the iustice, before hee 



sc. iiii] Cynthias Revels iii 

encounter his respected aduersarie, to see some light 
stroke of his play, commenc'd with some other. 

Hed. Answere not him, but the stranger, we will not 
beleeue him. 9° 

A MO. I will demand him my selfe. 

Cri. O dreadfull disgrace, if a man were so foolish to 
feele it! 

Amo. Is it your sute, Monsieur, to see some prcelude of 
my scholer? Now, sure the Monsieur wants language. 95 

Hed. And take vpon him to be one of the accomplisht ? 
S'light, that's a good iest: would we could take him with 
that nullitie. Non sapette voi parlar' Itagliano ? 

Ana. S'foot, the carpe ha's no tongue. 

Cri. Signior, in courtship, you are to bid your abettors 1°° 
forbeare, and satisfie the Monsieur s request. 

Amo. Well, I will strike him more silent, with admira- 
tion, and terrific his daring hither. Hee shall behold my 
owne play, with my scholer. Ladie, with the touch of 
your white hand, let me re-enstate you. Prouost, begin 105 
to me, at the bare Accost. Now, for the honor of my 
discipline. 

Hed. Signior Amorphvs, reflect, reflect: what 
meanes hee by that mouthed wane? 

Cri. He is in some distaste of your fellow disciple. no 

Mer. Signior, your scholer might haue plaid well still, 
if hee could haue kept his seate longer : I haue enough of 
him, now. He is a mere peece of glasse, I see through him, 
by this time. 

Amo. You come not to glue vs the scorne. Monsieur} "s 

Mer. Nor to be frighted with a face. Signior \ I haue 
scene the lyons. You must pardon me. I shall bee loth 
to hazzard a reputation with one, that ha's not a repu- 
tation to lose. 

105 you. [Leads Moria back to the state.] G Provost, [to 

Asotus] G 



112 Cynthias Revels [act v 

120 A MO. How! 

Cri. Meaning your pupil, sir. 

Ana. This is that blacke deuill there. 

A MO. You doe offer a strange affront, Monsieur. 

Cri. Sir, he shall yeeld you all the honor of a competent 

"5 aduersarie, if you please to vnder-take him 

Mer. I am prest for the encounter. 
A MO. Me? challenge me? 

A s o. What ! my Master, sir ? S'light, Monsieur, meddle 
with me, doe you heare? but doe not meddle with my 
130 Master. 

Mer. Peace, good squib, goe out. 
Cri. And stinke, he bids you. 
A so. Master? 
[243] A MO. Silence, I doe accept him. Sit you downe, and 
^35 obserue. Me ? He neuer profest a thing at more charges. 
Prepare your selfe, sir. Challenge me? I will prosecute 
what disgrace my hatred can dictate to me. 

Cri. How tender a trauailers spleene is? comparison, 
to men, that deserue least, is euer most offensiue. 
MO A MO. You are instructed in our chartell, and know our 
weapons ? 

Mer. I appeare not without their notice, sir. 
A SO. But must I lose the prizes. Master} 
A MO. I will win them for you, bee patient. Lady, 
145 vouchsafe the tenure of this ensigne. Who shall be your 
stickler ? 

Mer. Behold him. 

A MO. I would not wish you a weaker. Sound musiques. 
I prouoke you, at the hare Accost. 
A charge. Pha. Exccllcnt comcly ! 

Cri. And worthily studied. This is th' exalted Fore-top. 
Hed. O, his legge was too much produc'd. 

144 Lady, [to Moria.] G 147 [Points to Crites. O 



sc. iiii] Cynthias Revels 113 

Ana. And his hat was carried skiruily. 

Phi. Peace; Let's see the Monsieur's Accost: Rare! 

Pha. Sprightly, and short. 'S5 

Ana. True, it is the french curteau: He lacks but to 
haue his nose slit. 

Hed. He do's hop. He do's bound too much. A flourish. 

A MO. The second bout, to conclude this weapon. a charge. 

Pha. Good, beleeue it! ^^o 

Phi. An excellent offer! 

Cri. This is call'd the solemne hand-string. 

Hed. Foe, that cringe was not put home. 

Ana. S'foot, he makes a face like a stab'd Lvcrece. 

A so. Well, he would needes take it vpon him, but 165 
would I had done it for all this. He makes me sit still 
here, like a babioun as I am. 

Cri. Making villanous faces. 

Phi. See, the French prepares it richly. 

Cri. I, this is y'cleped the serious trifle. '7° 

Ana. S'lud, 'tis the horse-start out 0' the browne studie. 

Cri. Rather the hird-ey'd stroke, sir. Your ohseruance a flourish. 
is too blunt, sir. 

A MO. ludges, award the prize. Take breath, sir. This 
bout hath beene laborious. 175 

A so. And yet your Criticke, or your Besso'gno, will 
thinke these things fopperie, and easie, now. 

Cri. Or rather meere lunacy. For, would any reason- 
able creature make these his serious studies, and perfec- 
tions ? Much lesse, onely hue to these ends ? to be the iSo 
false pleasure of a few, the true loue of none, and the 
iust laughter of all ? 

Hed. We must preferre the Monsieur, we courtiers 
must be partiall. 

Ana. Speake, Guardian. Name the prize, at the bare 1S5 
Accost. 

163 Foe] Foh 1640-Q 

H 



114 Cynthias Revels [act v 

MoR. A paire of wall-eyes, in a face forced. 
[244] Ana. Giue the Monsieur. Amorphvs hath lost his 
eies. 
190 Amo. I! is the palate of your judgement downe? 
Gentles, I doe appeale. 
A so. Yes master, to me. The judges be fooles. 
Ana. How now, sir? Tie vp your tongue, Mungrill. 
He cannot appeale. 
195 A so. Say you, sir? 
Ana. Sit you still, sir. 

A so. Why, so I doe. Doe not I, I pray you? 
Mer. Rcmercie, Madame, and these honourable 
Censors. 
200 Amo. Well, to the second wea.pon, The better Reguard: 
I will encounter you better. Attempt. 
Hed. Sweet Honour. 
Phi. What sayes my good Ambition} 
Hed. Which take you at this next weapon? I lay a 
205 discretion, with you, on Amorphvs head. 

Phi. Why, I take the french-heh^M'd gentleman. 
Hed. 'Tis done, a discretion. 

Cri. a discretion} A prettie court-wager! would any 
discreet person hazard his wit, so ? 
210 Pha. rie lay a discretion, with you, Anaides. 

Ana. Hang 'hem. Tie not venter a doibt of discretion, 

on eyther of their heads. 

Cri. No, he should venter all then. 
Ana. I like none of their playes. 
A char or. Hed. See, see, this is strange play! 

Ana. 'Tis too full of vncertaine motion. He hobbles 
too much. 

Cri. 'Tis call'd your court-staggers, sir. 
Hed. That same fellow talkes so, now he has a place. 
220 Ana. Hang him, neglect him. 

Mer. Yotir good ladiships affectioned. 



sc, iiii] Cynthias Revels 115 

WiF. Gods so! they speake at this weapon, brother! 

A so. They must doe so, sister, how should it bee the 
better Reguard, else? 

Pha. Me thinkes, hee did not this respectiuely inough. ^25 

Phi. Why, the Monsieur but dallies with him. 

Hed. Dallies? Slight see, hee'l put him too't, in 
earnest. Well done, Amorphvs. 

Ana. That puffe was good indeed. 

Cri. Gods mee! This is desperate play. Hee hits 230 
himselfe o'the shinnes. 

Hed. And he make this good through, he carries it, 
I warrant him. 

Cri. Indeed he displayes his feet, rarely. 

Hed. See, see; Hee do's the respediue Leere damnably 235 
well. 

A MO. The true idolater of your beauties, shall neuer 
passe their deities vnadored : I rest your poore knight. 

Hed. See, now the oblique leere, or the I anus : He satis- [245] 
fies all, with that aspect, most nobly. 240 

Cri. And most terribly he comes off: like your Rodo- a flourish. 
mantada. 

Pha. How like you this play. An aides? 

Ana. Good play; but 't is too rough, and boisterous. 

Amo. I will second it with a stroke easier, wherein =45 
I will prooue his language. 

Ana. This is filthie, and graue, now. a charge. 

Hed. O, 't is coole, and warie play. Wee must not 
disgrace our owne camerade, too much. 

Amo. Signora, ho tanto obligo per ye fauore re^ciuto da 250 
lei; che veramente dessidero con tutto il core, d remimerarla 
in parte: & sicuratiue signora mea cara, chi iosera sempre 
pronto a seruirla, & honoraria. Bascio le mane de vo' 
signoria. 

250 ye] le G 252 S-] e G 

H2 



ii6 Cynthias Revels [act v 

255 Cri. The Venetian Dop this. 

Pha. Most vnexspectedly excellent! The French goes 
downe certaine. 

A so. As buckets are put downe into a well; 

Or as a schoole-hoy. 

260 Cri. Trusse vp your simile, lacke-daw, and obserue. 
Hed. Now the Monsieur is nrioou'd. 
Ana. Boe-peepe. 
Hed. O, most antique. 
Cri. The french Quirke, this sir. 
265 Ana. Heart, he will ouer-runne her! 

Mer. Madamoyselle, le voudroy que pouuoy monstrer 
mon affection, mais ie suis tant mat heureuse, ci froid, ci 
layd, ci Ie ne scay qui di dire excuse may, Ie suis 

A flourish. tOUt VOStre. 

270 Phi. O braue, and spirited! Hee's a right louialist. 
Phi. No, no: Amorphvs grauitie outwaies it. 
Cri. And yet your ladie, or your feather would out- 
weigh both. 

Ana. What's the prize, ladie, at this better Reguard? 

275 MoR. AFace fauourably simpring, a-iid a fannewauing. 

Ana. They haue done doubtfully. Diuide. Giue the 

fauourable Face to the Signior, and the light waue to the 

Monsieur. 

A MO. You become the simper, well, ladie. 
280 Mer. And the wag, better. 

A MO. Now, to our solemne Addresse. Please the well- 
grac'd Philavtia to relieue the ladie sentinell; shee 
hath stood long. 

Phi. With all my hesivt, come, Guardian. Resigneyour 
28s place. 

A MO. Monsieur, furnish your selfe with what solemni- 
tie of ornament you thinke fit for this third weapon; at 

284 [Moria comes from the state. 



sc. mi] Cynthias Revels 117 

which you are to shew all the cunning of stroke, your 
deuotion can possibly deuise. 

Mer. Let me alone, sir. He sufficiently decipher your 29° 
amorous solemnities. Crites, haue patience. See, if I 
hit not all their practicke obseruance, with which they 
lime twigs, to catch their phantasticke ladiebirds. 

Cri. I, but you should doe more charitably, to doe it [246] 
more openly ; that they might discouer themselues mockt 295 
in these monstrous affections. 

Mer. Lacquay, where's the taylor? A charge. 

Tay. Heere, sir. 

Hed. See, they haue their Taylor, Barber, Perfumer, 
Millaner, leweller, Feather-maker, all in common! 3°° 

Ana. I, this is prettie. 

Amo. Here is a haire too much, take it off . Where are They make 

thy mullets} them sehces 

-' _ readie on the 

Mer. Is this pinke of equall proportion to this zvX, stage. 
standing of this distance from it ? 305 

Tay. That it is, sir. 

Mer. Is it so, sir, you impudent PouUroun} you slaue, 
you list, you shreds, you. 

Hed. Excellent. This was the best, yet. 

Ana. S'foot, we must vse our taylors thus. This is 310 
your true magnanimitie. 

Mer. Come, goe to : put on. Wee must beare with you, 
for the times sake. 

Amo. Is the perfume rich, in this jerkin? 

Per. Taste, smell; I assure you sir, pure beniamin, the 31s 
onely spirited sent, that euer awak'd a neapolitane nostrill. 
You would wish your selfe all nose, for the loue ont. I 
frotted a jerkin, for a new-reuenu'd gentleman, yeelded 
me threescore crownes, but this morning, and the same 
titillation. 320 

297 Enter Tailor, Barber, Perfumer, Milliner, Jeweler, and 
Feather-maker. G 308 [Beats the Tailor. G 



ii8 Cynthias Revels [act v 

A MO. I sauour no sampsuchine, in it. 
Per. I am a nulU-fidian, if there be not three thirds 
of a scruple more of sampsuchinum, in this confection, 
then euer I put in any. He tell you all the ingredients, sir. 
32s A MO. You shall be simple, to discouer your simples. 
Per. Simple? why sir? what recke I to whom I dis- 
couer ? I haue in it, muske, ciuet, amber, phcenicohalanus , 
the decoction of iurmericke, sesama, nard, spikenard, cala- 
mus odoratus, stacte, opobalsamum, amomum, storax, lada- 
33° num, aspalathiim, opponax, oenanthe. And what of all 
these now ? what are you the better ? Tut, it is the sorting, 
and the diuiding, and the mixing, and the temprmg, and 
the searcing, and the decocting, that makes the fumiga- 
tion, and the suffumigation. 
335 A MO. Well, indue me with it. 
Per. I will, sir. 
Hed. An excellent confection. 

Cri. And most worthie a true voluptarie. Iove! 

what a coyle these muske-wormes take, to purchase 

340 anothers delight? for, themselues, who beare the odours. 

haue euer the least sence of them. Yet, I doe like better 

the prodigalitie of jewels, and clothes, whereof one passeth 

to a mans heires; the other, at least weares out time: This 

presently expires, and without continuall riot in repara- 

345 tion is lost : which who so striues to keep, it is one speciall 

argument to me, that (affecting to smell better then other 

men) he doth indeed smell farre worse. 

[247] Mer. I know, you will say it sits well, sir. 

Tay. Good faith, if it doe not, sir, let your Mistris 
350 be judge. 

Mer. By heauen, if my Mistris doe not like it, I'le 
make no more conscience to vndoe thee, then to vndoe 
an oyster. 



sc. iiii] Cyntkias Revels 119 

Ta Y. Beleeue it, sir, there's ne're a Mistris i' the world 
can mishke it. 35s 

Mer. No, not goodwife Taylor, your Mistris; that has 
onely the iudgement to heat your pressing toole. But for a 
court -Mistris, that studies these decorums, and knowes 
the proportion of euerie cut, to a haire, knowes why such 
a colour, is cut vpon such a colour, and, when a satten is 360 
cut vpon six taffataes, wil looke that we should diue into 

the depth of the cut. Giue me my scarf fe. Shew 

some ribbands, sirra. Ha you the feather? 

Fei. I, sir. 

Mer. Ha'you the Jewell? 36s 

Iew. Yes, sir. 

Mer. What must I giue for the hire on't ? 

Iew. You'le giue me six crownes, sir? 

Mer. Sixe crownes ? By heauen 'twere a good deed to 
borrow it of thee, to shew: and neuer let thee haue it 370 
againe. 

Iew. I hope your worship will not doe so, sir. 

Mer. By Iove, sir, there bee such trickes stirring, 
I can tell you, and worthily too. Extorting knaues! that 

Hue by these Court-decorums, and yet, What's your 375 

Jewell worth, I pray? 

Iew. a hundred crownes, sir. 

Mer. a hundred crownes? And sixe for the loane 
on't an houre ? WHiat's that i' the hundred for the yeere ? 
These impostors would not bee hang'd ? your thiefe is not 380 
comparable to 'hem, by Hercvles, well, put it in, and 
the feather. You will ha't, and you shall; and the poxe 
giue you good on't. 

Amo. Giue mee my confects, my moscardini, and place 
those colours in my hat. 385 

Mer. These are holognian ribbands, I warrant you? 

Mil. In truth, sir : if they be not right granado silke 

Mer. a poxe on you, you'le all say so. 



120 Cynthias Revels [act v 

Mil. You giue me not a pennie, sir. 
390 Mer. Come sir, perfume my deuant; May it ascend, 
like solemne sacrifice, into the nostrils of the Qiieene of 
Loue. 

Hed. Your french ceremonies are the best. 
Ana. Monsieur, Signior, 3^our solemne Addresse is too 
395 long. The ladies long to haue you come on. 

A MO. Soft, sir, our comming on is not so easily pre- 
par'd. Signior Fig. 
Per. I, sir. 

A MO. Can you helpe my complexion, heere? 
400 Per. O yes, sir, I haue an excellent mineral Fuciis, 
for the purpose. The gloues are right, sir, you shall burie 
'hem in a mucke-hill, a draught, seuen yeeres, and take 
'hem out, and wash 'hem, the}- shall still retame their 
[248] first sent, true Spanish. There's amhre i'the vmbre. 
405 Mer. Your price, sweet Fig. 

Per. Giue me what you will, sir : The Signior payes me 
two crownes a paire, you shall giue me 3^our loue, sir. 
Mer. My loue? \dth a pox to you, goodman sasafras. 
Per. I come, sir. There's an excellent diapasme in a 
410 chaine too, if you like it. 

A MO. Stay, what are the ingredients to your fncus? 
Per. Nought, but sublimate, and crude mercurie, sir, 
well prepar'd, and dulcified, with the jaw-bones of a sow, 
burnt, beaten, and searced. 
415 A MO. I approue it. Lay it on. 

Mar. He haue your chaine of pomander, sirrah; what's 
your price ? 

Per. Wee'le agree. Monsieur; He assure you, it was 
both decocted, and dried, where no sun came, and kept 
420 in an onyx euer since it was ball'd. 

Mer. Come, inuert my mustachio, and we haue done. 

A MO. 'Tis good. 

Bar. Hold still I pray you, sir. 



sc. iiii] Cynthias Revels 121 

Per. Nay, the fucus is exorbitant, sir. 

Mer. Death! doost thou burne me, Harlot? 42s 

Bar. I beseech you, sir. 

Mer. Begger, Varlet, Poultroun} a flourish, 

Hed. Excellent, excellent! 

Ana. Your french Beate is the most naturall beate of 
the world. 430 

A so. O, that I had plaid at this weapon! 

Pha. Peace, now they come on; the second part. a charge, 

A MO. Madame, your beauties, being so attractiue, I 
muse you are left thus, alone. 

Phi. Better be alone, sir; then ill-accompanied. 

A MO. Nought can be ill, ladie, that can come neere 435 
your goodnesse. 

Mer. Sweet Madame, on what part of you soeuer a 
man casts his eye, he meets with perfection; you are the 
liuely image of Venvs, throughout; all the Graces 
smile in your cheeks; your beautie nourishes, as well 440 
as delights; you haue a tongue steep't in honie; and a 
breath like a panther: your brests and forehead are 
whiter then gotes milke, or M^y-blossomes ; a cloud is 
not so soft as your skinne. 

Hed. Well strooke. Monsieur : Hee- charges like a 445 
Frenchman indeed, thicke, and hotly. 

Mer. Your cheekes are Cvpids baths, wherein hee 
vses to steepe himselfe in milke, and nectar: Hee do's 
light all his torches at your eyes, and instructs you how 
to shoot, and wound, with their beames. Yet I loue noth- 450 
ing, in you, more then your innocence; you retaine so 
natiue a simplicitie, so vnblam'd a behauiour. Mee thinkes, 
with such a loue, I should find no head, nor foot of my 
pleasure: You are the verie spirit of a ladie. 

Ana. Faire play. Monsieur} you are too hot on the 455 
quarrie. Giue your competitor audience. 

428 \Bmis him. G 



122 Cynthias Revels [act v 

[249] A MO. Lady, how stirring soeuer the Monsieurs tongue 
is, hee will lie by your side, more dull then your eunuch. 
Ana. a good stroke; That mouth was excellently 
460 put ouer. 

A MO. You are faire, lady 

Cri. You offer foule, Signior, to close. Keepe your 
distance; for all your Brauo rampant, here. 

A MO. I say you are faire, lady, let your choice be fit, 
465 as you are faire. 

Mer. I say, ladies doe neuer beleeue they are faire, 
till some foole begins to dote vpon 'hem. 
Phi. You play too rough, gentlemen. 
A MO. Your frenchi/ied foole is your onely foole, lady: 
470 1 doe yeeld to this honorable Monsieur, in all ciuill, and 
humane courtesie. 
A flourish. Mer. Buzze. 

Ana. Admirable. Giue him the prize. Giue him the 
prize; That mouth, againe, was most courtly hit, and 
475 rare. 

A MO, I knew, I should passe vpon him with the hitter 
Boh. 

Hed. O, but the Reuerse was singular. 
Pha. It was most subtile, Amorphvs. 
480 A so. If I had don't, it should haue beene better. 
Mer. How heartily they applaud this, C rites! 
Cri. You suffer 'hem too long. 
Mer. rie take off their edge instantly. 
Ana. Name the prize, at the solemne Addresse. 
485 Phi. Two lips wagging. 

Cri. And neuer a wise word; I take it. 
Ana. Giue to Amorphvs. And, vpon him, againe; 
let him not draw free breath. 

A MO. Thankes, faire deliuerer, and my honorable 
490 iudges, Madame P HAN TASTE, you are our worthy obiect 
at this next weapon. 



sc. iiii] Cynthias Revels 123 

Pha. Most couetingly ready, Amorphvs. 

Hed. Your Monsieur is crest-falne. 

Ana. So are most of 'hem once a yeere. 

A MO. You will see, I shall now giue him the gentle dor, 495 
presently, hee forgetting to shift the colours, which are 
now chang'd, with alteration of the Mistris. At your last 
weapon, sir. The perfect Close. Set forward, intend your 
approch. Monsieur. A charge. 

Mer. 'Tis yours, Signior. 500 

A MO, With your example, sir. 

Mer. Not I, sir. 

A MO. It is your right. 

Mer. By no possible meanes. 

A MO. You haue the way. 505 

Mer. As I am noble 

A MO. As I am vertuous 

Mer. Pardon me, sir. 

A MO. I will die first, [250] 

Mer. You are a tyranne in courtesie. 510 

A MO. He is remou'd ludges beare witnesse. 

Mer. What of that, sir? Amorphus 

. states the other. 

A MO. You are remou d, sir, „„ hismoumg. 

Mer. Well. 

Amo. I challenge you; you haue receiued the dor. 515 
Giue me the prize. 

Mer. Soft, sir. How, the dor ? 

Amo. The common Mistris, you see, is changed. 

Mer. Right, sir. 

Amo. And you haue still in your hat the former 520 
colours. 

Mer. You lie, sir, I haue none: I haue puU'd 'hem out. 
I meant to play discolour'd. 

Cri. The dor, the dor, the dor, the dor, the dor\ the 
palpable dor. 525 

492 [>SAe takes the. state instead of Philautia. G 



124 Cynthias Revels [act v 

A flourish. Ana. Heart of my bloud, Amorphvs, what ha' you 
done? Stuck a disgrace vpon vs all, and at your last 



weapon 



A so. I could haue done no more. 
530 Hed. By heauen, it was most vnfortunate lucke. 

Ana. Lucke! by that candle, it was meere rashnesse, 

and ouer-sight, would any man haue venterd to play so 

open, and forsake his ward? Dam' me if he ha' not 

eternally vndone himselfe, in court ; and discountenanc'd 

535 vs, that were his maine countenance, by it. 

A MO. Forgiue it, now. It was the soloecisme of my 
starres. 

Cri. The Wring by the hand, and the Banquet is ours. 

Mer. O, here's a lady, feeles like a wench of the first 

540 yeare ; you would thinke her hand did melt in your touch ; 

and the bones of her fingers ran out at length, when you 

prest 'hem, they are so gently delicate ! Hee that had the 

grace to print a kisse on these lips, should taste wine, & 

rose-leaues. O, shee kisses as close as a cockle. Let's 

545 take 'hem downe, as deepe as our hearts, wench, till our 

very soules mixe. Adieu, Signior. Good faith, I shall 

drinke to you at supper, sir. 

Ana. Stay, Monsieur. Who awards you the prize! 
Cri. Why, his proper merit, sir: you see hee has plaid 
550 downe your grand garbe-Master, here. 

Ana. That's not in your logicke to determine, sir: you 

are no courtier. This is none of your seuen, or nine begger- 

ly sciences, but a certaine mysterie aboue 'hem, wherein 

wee that haue skill must pronounce, and not such fresh- 

555 men as you are. 

Cri. Indeed, I must declare my selfe to you no profest 
courtling ; nor to haue any excellent stroke, at your subtile 
weapons: yet if you please, I dare venter a hit with you, 
or your fellow, sir Dagonet, here. 
560 Ana. With me? 



sc. I III] Cynthias Revels 125 

Cri. Yes, sir. 

Ana. Heart, I shall neuer haue such a fortune to saue 
my selfe in a fellow againe, and your two reputations, 
gentlemen, as in this. I'le vndertake him. 

Hed. Doe, and swinge him soundly, good An aides. [251] 

Ana. Let mee alone, I'le play other manner of play, 
then has beene seene, yet. I would the prize lay on't. 

Mer. It shall if you will, I forgiue my right. 

Ana. Are you so confident? what's your weapon? 

Cri. At any, I, sir. 57° 

Mer. The perfect Close, That's now the best. 

Ana. Content, I'le pay your scholaritie. Who offers? 

Cri. Mary, that will I. I dare giue you that aduantage, 
too. 

Ana. You dare? Well, looke to your liherall skonce. 575 

A MO. Make your play still, vpon the answere, sir. 

Ana. Hold your peace, you are a hobby-horse. 

A so. Sit by me. Master. 

Mer. Now C rites, strike home. 

Cri. You shall see me vndoe the assur'd swaggerer 580 
with a tricke, instantly : I will play all his owne play before 
him ; court the wench, in his garbe, in his phrase, with his 
face; leaue him not so much as a looke, an eye, a stalke, 
or an imperfect oth, to expresse himselfe by, after me. 

Mer. Excellent, C rites. 585 

Ana. When begin you, sir? Haue you consulted? a charge. 

Cri. To your cost, sir; which is the Peece, stands forth 
to bee courted ? O, are you shee ? Well, Madame, or 
sweet lady, it is so, I doe loue you in some sort, doe you 
conceiue ? and though I am no Monsieur, nor no Signior, 590 
and do want (as they say) logicke and sophistrie, and good 
words, to tell you why it is so; yet by this hand, and by 
that candle, it is so; And though 1 bee no booke-worme, 

584 [Aside to Mercury. G 588 she ? [to Philautia.] O 



126 Cynthias Revels [act v 

nor one that deales by arte, to giue you rhetorike, and 

595 causes, why it should be so, or make it good it is so, yet 

dam' me, but I know it is so, and am assur'd it is so, and I 

and my sword shall make it appeare it is so ; and giue you 

reason sufficient, how it can be no otherwise, but so 

Hed. S'light, An AIDES, you are mockt; and so we 
600 are all. 

Mer. How now, Signior! What, suffer your selfe to 
bee cossen'd of your courtship, before your lace ? 

Hed. This is plaine confederacy, to disgrace vs: Let's 
bee gone, and plot some reuenge. 
60s A MO. When men disgraces share, 
The lesser is the care. 
Cri. Nay stay, my deare Ambition, I can doe you ouer 
too. You that tell your Mistris, Her beautie is all com- 
posde of theft; Her haire stole from Apollo's goldy- 
610 locks ; Her white and red, lillies, and roses stolne out of 
paradise ; Her eyes, two starres, pluckt from the skie ; Her 
nose, the gnomon of Loues diall, that tells you how the 
clocke of your heart goes : And for her other parts, as you 
cannot reckon 'hem, they are so many; so you cannot 
615 recount them, they are so manifest. Yours, if his owne, 
^7?o?^rM/?. vnfortunate Hoyden, in stead of He don. 

[252] A so. Sister, come away, I cannot endure 'hem longer. 
Mer. Goe, Dors, and you, my Madame Courting-stocks, 
Follow your scorned, and derided mates; 
620 Tell to your guiltie brests, what meere guilt blocks 
You are, and how vnworthy humane states. 

Cri. Now, sacred god of wit, if you can make 
Those, whom our sports taxe in these apish graces, 
Kisse (like the fighting snakes) your peacefull rod; 
625 These times shall canonize you for a god. 

Mer. Why, C rites, thmke you any noble spirit 

607 Ambition, [to Hedon] G 617 [Exeunt all but Mercury 

and Crites. O 



sc. iiii] Cynthias Revels 127 

Or any, worth the title of a man, 

Will be incenst, to see th'inchaunted vailes 

Of selfe-conceit, and seruile flatterie 

(Wrapt in so many folds, by time, and custome) 63° 

Drawne from his wronged, and bewitched eyes ? 

Who sees not now their shape, and nakednesse. 

Is blinder then the sonne of earth, the mole* 

Crown'd with no more humanitie, nor soule. 

Cri. Though they may see it, yet the huge estate 635 
Phansie, and forme, and sensuall pride haue gotten, 
Will make them blush for anger, not for shame; 
And turne shewne nakednesse, to impudence. 
Humour is now the test, we trie things in; 
All power is iust: Nought that delights is sinne. 640 

And, yet the zeale of euery knowing man, 
(Opprest with hills of tyrannic, cast on vertue 
By the light phant'sies of fooles, thus transported) 
Cannot but vent the A^tna of his fires, 
T'enflame best bosomes, with much worthier loue 645 

Then of these outward, and effeminate shades: 
That, these vaine ioyes, in which their wills consume 
Such powers of wit, and soule, as are of force 
To raise their beings to geternitie. 

May be conuerted on workes, fitting men. 630 

And, for the practice of a forced looke. 
An antique gesture, or a fustian phrase, 
Studie the natiue frame ot a true heart, 
An mward comelinesse of bountie, knowledge, 
And spirit, that may conforme them, actually, 655 

To Gods high figures, which they haue in power: 
Which to neglect for a selfe-louing neatnesse. 
Is sacrilege, of an vnpardon'd greatnesse. 

M E R. Then let the truth of these things strengthen thee, 
In thy exempt, and only man-like course: 660 

Like it the more, the lesse it is respected; 



128 Cynthias Revels [act v 

J253] Though men faile, vertue is by gods protected. 
See, here comes Arete, I'le with-draw my selfe. 



^cf V. Scene v. 
Arete, Crites. 

CRiTES, you must prouide strait for a masque, 
'TisCvNTHiAS pleasure. Cri. How, bright Arete! 

Why, 'twere a labour more for Hercvles. 

Better, and sooner durst I vnder-take 
5 To make the different seasons of the yeere, 

The windes, or elements to sympathize. 

Then their vn measurable vanitie 

Dance truely in a measure. They agree? 

What though all concord's borne of contraries? 
^o So many follies will confusion proue, 

And like a sort of jarring instruments. 

All out of tune: because (indeede) we see 

There is not that analogic, twixt discords, 

As betweene things but meerely opposite. 
15 Are. There is your error. For as Hermes wand 

Charmes the disorders of tumultuous ghosts. 

And as the strife of Chaos then did cease. 

When better light then Natures did arriue: 

So, what could neuer in it selfe agree, 
20 Forgetteth the eccentrike propertie. 

And at her sight, turnes forth- with regular. 

Whose scepter guides the flowing Ocean. 

And though it did not, yet the most of them 

(Being either courtiers, or not wholy rude) 
^5 Respect of maiestie, the place, and presence, 

Will keepe them within ring; especially 

663 [Exit. O SCENA. 6. Q Act . . . Crites.] Enter 

Arete. O 2 'Tis . . . pleasure.] om. Q How] A masque Q 



sc. v] Cynthias Revels 129 

When they are not presented as themselues 

But masqu'd hke others. For (in troth) not so 

T'incorporate them, could be nothing else, 

Then like a state vngouern'd without lawes; 3» 

Or body made of nothing but diseases: 

The one, through impotency poore, and wretched. 

The other, for the anarchic absurd. 

Cri. But, ladie, for the reuellers themselues, 
It would be better (in my poore conceit) 35 

That others were imploid: for such as are 
Vnfit to be in Cynthiaes court, can seeme 
No lesse vnfit to be in Cynthiaes sports. 

Are. That, C rites, is not purposed without [254] 

Particular knowledge of the Goddesse mind, 40 

(Who holding true intelligence, what follies 
Had crept into her palace) shee resolu'd, 
Of sports, and triumphs, vnder that pretext. 
To haue them muster in their pompe, and fulnesse: 
That so shee might more strictly, and to roote, 45 

Effect the reformation shee intends. 

Cri. I now conceiue her heauenly drift in all, 
And will apply my spirits, to serue her will. 
O thou, the very power, by which I am. 
And but for which, it were in vaine to be, so 

Chief e next Diana, virgin, heauenly faire, 
Admired Arete (of them admir'd, 
Whose soules are not enkindled by the sense) 
Disdaine not my chaste fire, but feede the flame 
Denoted truely to thy gracious name. ss 

Are. Leaue to suspect vs: C rites well shall find, 
As we are now most deare, wee'le proue most kind. 



30 lawes; or Q 31 Or] A. Q 39 Crites . . . purposed] 

is not done (my Criticus) Q 48 her] thy Q 56 Crites well] 

Criticus Q 51 Arete Within. Q kind. \_WitMn.'\ Arete! G 

I 



130 Cynthias Revels [act V 

Harke, I am call'd. Cri. I follow instantly. 
Phcebvs Apollo: if with ancient rites, 
6° And due deuotions, I haue euer hung 

Elaborate pceans, on thy golden shrine, 

Or sung thy triumphs in a loftie straine, 

Fit for a theater of gods to heare; 

And thou, the other sonne of mighty Iove, 
65 Cyllenian Mercvry (sweet Mai as ioy) 

If in the busie tumults of the mind, 

My path thou euer hast illumined. 

For which, thine altars I haue oft perfum'd, 

And deckt thy statues with discoloured flowres: 
70 Now thriue inuention in this glorious court, 

That not of bountie only, but of right, 

Cynthia may grace, and giue it life by sight. 



Act V. Scene vi. 

Hespervs, Cynthia, Arete, Tyme, Phronesis, 
Thavma. 



Q 



The Hymne. 

|Veene, and Huntresse, chaste, and faire, 
Now the Sunne is laid to sleepe, 
[255] Seated, in thy siluer chaire, 

State in wonted manner keepe: 
5 Hespervs intreats thy light, 

Goddesse, excellently bright. 

Earth, let not thy enuious shade 
Dare it selfe to interpose; 

58 Harke . . . call'd.] Arete. Harke, I am cald. Exit. Q 69 Statue Q 
72 Exit. Q Finis Actus quarti. Q . ACTVS QVINTVS. 

SCENA. 1. Q SCENE III. Enter, etc. Music accompanied. 

Hesperus sings. O Hymnus. Q 1 Hesf. Q 



sc. vi] Cynthias Revels 131 

Cy NTH I AS shining orbe was made 
Heauen to cleere, when day did close: 

Blesse vs then with wished sight, 

Goddesse, excellently bright. 

Lay thy bow of fearle apart, 
And thy cristall-shining quiuer; 
Giue vnto the flying hart 
Space to breathe, how short soeuer: 

Thou that mak'st a day of night, 

Goddesse, excellently bright. 

Cyn. When hath Diana, Hke an enuious wretch, 
That glitters onely to his soothed selfe, 
Denying to the world, the precious vse 
Of hoorded wealth, with-held her friendly aide? 
Monthly, we spend our still-repaired shine, 
And not forbid our virgin -waxen torch 
To burne, and blaze, while nutriment doth last: 
That once consum'd, out of Ioves treasurie 
A new we take, and sticke it in our spheare, 
To giue the mutinous kind of wanting men. 
Their look't-for light. Yet, what is their desert? 
"Bountie is wrong'd, interpreted as due; 
"Mortalls can challenge not a ray, by right, 
"Yet doe expect the whole of Cynthias light. 
But if that Deities with-drew their gifts. 
For humane follies, what could men deserue 
But death, and darknesse ? It behooues the high, 
For their owne sakes, to doe things worthily. 

Are. Most true, most sacred Goddesse; for the heauens 
Receiue no good of all the good they doe. 
Nor lovE, nor you, nor other heauenly power. 
Are fed with fumes, which doe from incense rise, 

18 Exit. Q 34 could] should Q 

12 



132 Cynthias Revels [act v 

Or sacrifices reeking in their gore, 
Yet, for the care which you of mortalls haue, 
(Whose proper good it is, that they be so) 
You well are pleas'd with odours redolent: 

45 But ignorant is all the race of men, 
Which still complaines, not knowing why, or when. 
[256] Cyn. Else, noble Arete, they would not blame, 
And taxe, for or vnjust, or for as proud. 
Thy Cynthia, in the things which are indeed 

50 The greatest glories in our starrie crowne ; 
Such is our chastitie: which safely scornes 
(Not Loue, for who more feruently doth loue 
Immortall honour, and diuine renowne? 
But) giddie Cvpid, Venvs franticke sonne. 

55 Yet Arete, if by this vailed light. 
Wee but discouer'd (what we not discerne) 
Any, the least of imputations stand 
Readie to sprinkle our vnspotted fame, 
With note of lightnesse, from these reuels neere: 

60 Not, for the empire of the vniuerse, 

Should night, or court, this whatsoeuer shine, 
Or grace of ours vnhappily enjoy. 
"Place, and occasion are two priuie theeues; 
"And from poore innocent ladies often steale 

65 "(The best of things) an honourable name: 
"To stay with follies, or where faults may be, 
"Infers a crime, although the partie free. 

Are. How Cynthian-ly (that is, how worthily 
And like herself e) the matchlesse Cynthia speakes! 

70 Infinite iealousies, infinite regards, 
Doe watch about the true virginitie: 
But Phcebe hues from all, not onely fault. 
But as from thought, so from suspicion free. 
"Thy presence hroad-seales our delights for pure, 

75 "What's done in Cynthias sight, is done secure. 



sc. vi] Cynthias Revels 133 

Cyn. That then so answer'd (dearest Arete) 
What th'argument, or of what sort our sports 
Are like to be this night, I not demaund. 
Nothing which dutie, and desire to please 
Beares written in the forehead, comes amisse. ^° 

But vnto whose inuention, must we owe, 
The complement of this nights furniture? 

Are. Excellent Goddesse, to a mans, whose worth, 
(Without hyperbole,) I thus may praise; 
One (at least) studious of deseruing well, ss 

And (to speake truth) indeed deseruing well: 
"Potentiall merit stands for actuall, 
"Where onely oportunitie doth want, 
"Not will, nor power: both which in him abound. 
One, whom the Mvses, and Minerva loue. 9° 

For whom should they, then C rites, more esteeme, 
Whom Phcebvs (though not Fortune) holdeth deare? [257] 
And (which conuinceth excellence in him,) 
A principall admirer of your selfe. 

Euen, through th' vngentle injuries of fate, 9s 

And difficulties, which doe vertue choake, 
Thus much of him appeares. What other things 
Of farther note, doe lye vnborne in him, 
Them I doe leaue for cherishment to shew, 
And for a Goddesse graciously to judge. 100 

Cyn. We haue alreadie judg'd him. Arete: 
Nor are we ignorant, how noble minds 
Suffer too much through those indignities. 
Which times, and vicious persons cast on them : 
Our selfe haue euer vowed to esteeme, 105 

(As vertue, for it selfe, so) fortune base; 
Who's first in worth, the same be first in place. 



83 a] om. Q 91 then . . . esteeme] more loue then Criticus Q 

107 Who's] Who Q 



134 Cynthias Revels [act v 

Nor farther notice (Arete) we craue 
Then thme approuals soueraigne warrantie: 
"o Let' be thy care, to make vs knowne to him, 

"Cynthia shall brighten, what the world made dimme. 



Act V. Scene v i i . 

The first Masque. 
Totkem. CvpiD, like Anteros. 

CLeare pearle of heauen, and, not to bee farther 
ambitious in titles, Cynthia. The fame of this 
illustrous night, among others, hath also drawne these 
foure faire virgins from the palace of their Queene Per- 
s fection (a word, which makes no sufficient difference, 
twixt hers, and thine) to visit thy imperiall court : for she, 
their soueraigne, not finding where to dwell among men, 
before her returne to heauen, aduised them wholy to 
consecrate themselues to thy celestiall seruice, as in whose 

lo cleere spirit (the proper element, and sphere of vertues) 
they should behold not her alone, (their euer honour' d 
mistris) but themselues (more truly themselues) to Hue 
inthroniz'd. Her selfe would haue commended them vnto 
thy fauour more particularly, but that shee knowes no 

IS commendation is more auaileable with them, then that of 
proper vertue. Neuerthelesse, she will'd them to present 
this christall mound, a note of monarchic, and symbole of 
perfection, to thy more worthie deitie; which, as heere by 
me they most humbly doe, so amongst the rarities thereof, 

111 [Exit Arete. G SCENA. 2. THE FIRST MASQVE. Q 

Act . . . Anteros.] The First Masque. Enter Cupid disguised 

as Anteros, followed by Storge, Aglaia, Euphantaste, and Apheleia. G 
1 Ante. Q 7 Soueraigne Lady Q 15 them] thee Q, thee 

1692-G 



sc. vii] Cynthias Revels 135 

that is the chiefe, to shew whatsoeuer the world hath ^o 
excellent, howsoeuer remote and various. But your ir- 
radiate iudgement will soone discouer the secrets of this 
little cristall world. Themselues (to appeare more plaine- 
ly) because they know nothing more odious, then false 
pretexts, haue chosen to expresse their seuerall qualities, ^s 
thus, in seuerall colours. [258] 

The first, in citron colour, is natural Affection, which 
giuen vs to procure our good, is somtime called Storge, & 
as euery one is neerest to himselfe, so this hand-maid of 
reason, allowable selfe-loue, as it is without harme, so are 30 
none without it : Her place in the court of Perfection was 
to quicken mindes in the pursuit of honour. Her deuice 
is a perpendicular Leuell, vpon a Cube, or Square. The 
word, Se Svo Modvlo. Alluding to that true measure 
of ones selfe, which as euerie one ought to make, so is it 35 
most conspicuous in thy diuine example. 

The second, in greene, is Aglai a, delectable and pleas- 
ant Conuersation, whose propertie is to moue a kindly 
delight, and sometime not without laughter: Her office, 
to entertaine assemblies, and keepe societies together 4° 
with faire familiaritie. Her deuice within a Ring of clouds, 
a Heart with shine about it. The Word, Cvrarvm Nv- 
BILA Pello. An allegorie of Cynthiaes light, which 
no lesse cleares the skie, then her faire mirth the heart. 

The third, in the discolour'd mantle spangled all ouer, 45 
is EVPHANTASTE, a well conceited Wittinesse, and im- 
ployd in honouring the court with the riches of her pure 
inuention. Her deuice, vpon a Petasus, or Mercuriall hat, 
a Crescent. The Word, Sic Lavs Ingenii. Inferring, 
that the praise and glorie of wit, doth euer increase, as 50 
doth thy growing moone. 



23 the more Q 27 i The first Q 37 2 The second Q 

38 is] it is Q 45 5 The third Q the] om. Q 



136 Cynthias Revels [act v 

The fourth in white, is Apheleia, a Nymph as pure 
and simple as the soule, or as an abrase table, and is 
therefore called Simplicitie; without folds, without 

55 pleights, without colour, without counterfeit: and (to 
speake plainly) Plainenesse it selfe. Her deuice is no deuice. 
The word vnder her siluer Shield, OmnisAbestFvcvs. 
Alluding to thy spotlesse selfe, who art as farre from im- 
puritie, as from mortalitie. 

60 My selfe (celestiall Goddesse) more fit for the court of 
CvNTHiA, then the arbors of Cytheree, am call'd 
Anteros, or Loues enemie; the more welcome therefore 
to thy court, and the fitter to conduct this quaternion, 
who as they are thy professed votaries, and for that cause 

65 aduersaries to Loue, yet thee (perpetuall Virgin) they both 
loue, and vow to loue eternally. 



N 



^ct V. Scene v 1 1 i . 
Cynthia, Arete, Crites. 
Ot without wonder, nor without delight, 



Mine eyes haue view'd (in contemplations depth) 
This worke of wit, diuine, and excellent: 
What shape ? what substance ? or what vnknowne power 
5 In virgins habite, crown'd with lawrell leaues, 
And oliue branches wouen in betweene. 
On sea-girt rockes, like to a Goddesse shines? 
O front ! face ! all caelestiall sure, 
[259] And more then mortall! Arete, behold 
10 Another Cynthia, and another Queene, 
Whose glorie (like a lasting plenilune) 
Seemes ignorant of what it is to wane! 

52 4 The fourth Q 63 Quaternio Q 8CENA. 3. Q 

Act . . . Crites.] Re-enter Arete, with Crites. G 1 Cynthia. Q 

7 Rocke Q 



sc. viii] Cynthias Revels 137 

Not vnder heauen an obiect could be found 
More fit to please. Let Crites make approch. 
Bountie forbids to paule our thankes with stay. 
Or to deferre our fauour, after view: 
"The time of grace is, when the cause is new. 

Are. Loe, here the man (celestiall Delia) 
Who (like a circle bounded in it selfe) 
Contaynes as much, as man in fulnesse may. 
Loe, here the man, who not of vsuall earth, 
But of that nobler, and more precious mould. 
Which Phcebvs selfe doth temper, is compos'd; 
And, who (though all were wanting to reward) 
Yet, to himselfe he would not wanting be: 
Thy fauours gaine is his ambitions most. 
And labours best; who (humble in his height) 
Stands fixed silent in thy glorious sight. 

Cyn. With no lesse pleasure, then we haue beheld 
This precious christall, worke of rarest wit. 
Our eye doth reade thee (now enstil'd) our Crites; 
Whom learning, vertue, and our fauour last, 
Exempteth from the gloomy multitude. 
"With common eye the supreme should not see. 
Henceforth be ours, the more thy selfe to be. 

Cri. Heau'ns purest light, whose orbe may be eclips'd, 
But not thy praise (diuinest Cynthia) 
How much too narrow for so high a grace. 
Thine (saue therein) the most vn worthy Crites 
Doth find himselfe! for euer shine thy fame; 
Thine honours euer, as thy beauties doe; 
In me they must, my darke worlds chiefest lights. 
By whose propitious beames my powers are rais'd 
To hope some part of those most loftie points, 



14 Crites make] Criticus Q 31 enstil'd) our Crites] our 

CriticusQ 39 Thy] Q the . . . Crites] vnworthy Criticus Q 



138 Cynthias Revels [act v 

45 Which blessed Arete hath pleas'd to name, 
As markes, to which m' indeuours steps should bend: 
Mine, as begun at thee, in thee must end. 



[260] Act V. Scene i x. 

The second Masque. 
Mercvrie, as a Page. 

Olster of Phcebvs, to whose bright orbe we owe, 
that we not complaine of his absence; These foure 
brethren (for they are brethren, and sonnes of Ev- 
TAXIA, a lady knowne, and highly belou'd of your 
5 resplendent deitie) not able to be absent, when Cynthia 
held a solemnitie, officiously msinuate themselues into 
thy presence: For, as there are foure cardinall vertues, 
vpon which the whole frame of the court doth moue, so 
are these the foure cardinall properties, without which, 

1° the body of complement moueth not. With these foure 
siluer iauelins (which they beare in their hands) they sup- 
port in Princes courts the state of the presence, as by 
office they are obliged; which, though here they may 
seeme superfluous, yet, for honors sake, they thus pre- 

'5 sume to visite thee, hauing also beene emploid in the 
palace of Queene Perfection. And though to them, that 
would make themselues gracious to a Goddesse, sacrifices 
were fitter then presents, or Impreses, yet they both hope 
thy fauour, and (in place of either) vse seuerall Symboles, 

2o contayning the titles of thy imperiall dignitie. 

First, the hethermost, in the changeable blew, andgreene 
robe, is the commendably-fashioned gallant, Evcos- 

46 to] om. Q my 'ndeuors Q 8CENA. 4. THE 

SECOND MA8QVE. Q Act . . . Page.] The Second Masque. 

Enter Mercury as a page, introducing Eucosmos, Eupathes, Eutolmos, 
and Eucolos. G 1 Mar. Q 21 First] 1 Q 22 fashionate Q 



sc. ix] Cynthias Revels 139 

Mos; whose courtly habite is the grace of the presence, and 
dehght of the surueying eye : whom ladies vnderstand by 
the names of neate, and elegant. His Symhole is, Divae ^s 
ViRGiNi, in which he would expresse thy deities princi- 
pall glory, which hath euer beene virginitie. 

The second, in the rich acoutrement, and robe of 
purple, empaled with gold, is Evpathes; who enter- 
taynes his mind with an harmelesse, but not incurious 30 
varietie : All the obiects of his senses are sumptuous, him- 
self e a gallant, that, without excesse, can make vse of 
superfluitie : goe richly in imbroideries, iewells (and what 
not ?) without vanitie, and fare delicately without glutt- 
onie : and therefore (not without cause) is vniuersally 35 
thought to be of fijie humour. His Symhole is, Divae 
Optimae. An attribute to expresse thy goodnesse, in 
which thou so resemblest Iove thy father. 

The third, in the blush-colour 'd sute, is, Evtolmos, 
as duely respecting others, as neuer neglecting himselfe; 40 
commonly knowne by the title of good audacitie: to 
courts, and courtly assemblies, a guest most acceptable. 
His Symhole is, Divae Viragini. To expresse thy 
hardy courage, in chase of sauage beasts, which harbour 
in woods, and wildernesse. 45 

The fourth, in watchet tinsell, is the kind, and truly 
benefique EvcoLOS. Who imparteth not without re- 
spect, but yet without difficultie; and hath the happinesse 
to make euery kindnesse seeme double, by the timely, and [261] 
freely bestowing thereof. He is the chiefe of them, who 5° 
(by the vulgar) are said to be of good nature. His Symhole 
is, Divae Max I MAE. An adiunct to signifie thy great- 
nesse, which in heauen, earth, and hell is formidable. 

28 2 The second Q 33 superfluities Q Imbroyders Q 

39 3. The third Q 46 4. The fourth Q 



140 Cynthias Revels [act v 

Act V. See fie x. 

The Masques CVPID, MeRCVRIE. 

oyne, and thev 

dance. ' TS Hot that Amorphvs, the trauailer? 

J- Mer. As though it were not! doe you not see how 
his legs are in trauaile with a measure? 
Cvp. Hedon, thy master is next. 
5 Mer. What, will Cvpid turne nomendator , and cry 
them? 

Cvp. No faith, but I haue a comedie toward, that 
would not be lost for a kingdome. 

Mer. In good time, for Cvpid will proue the comedie. 
10 Cvp. Mercvry,! am studying how to match them. 
Mer. How to mis-match them were harder. 
Cvp. They are the Nymphs must doe it, I shall sport 
my selfe with their passions aboue measure. 

Mer. Those Nymphs would be tam'd a little, mdeed, 
15 but I feare thou hast not arrowes for the purpose. 

Cvp. O, yes, here be of all sorts, flights, rouers, and 
butt-shafts. But I can wound with a brandish, and neuer 
draw bow for the matter. 

Mer. I cannot but beleeue it, my inuisible archer, and 
20 yet me thmks you are tedious. 

Cvp. It behoues me to be somewhat circumspect, 
Mercvry; for if Cynthia heare the twang of my bow, 
shee'le goe neere to whip mee with the string: therefore, 

to preuent that, I thus discharge a brandish vpon -it 

25 makes no matter which of the couples. Phantaste, 
and Amorphvs, at you. 

Mer. Will the shaking of a shaft strike 'hem into such 
a feuer of affection? 

SCENA. 5. Q Act . . . Mercvrie.] Music. A Dance by 

the two Masques joined, during which Cdpid and Mercury retire to 
the side of the stage. G 1-2 (margin) and they dance.] om. Q 

1 Cwp. Q 12 They are] It isQ 26 [ Waves his arrow at them. G 



sc. x] Cynthias Revels 141 

Cvp. As well as the wincke of an eye: but I pray thee, 
hinder me not with thy prattle. 3° 

Mer. Iove forbid I hinder thee. Mary, all that I 
feare, is Cynthias presence; which, with the cold of her 
chastitie, casteth such an antiperistasis about the place, 
that no heate of thine will tarry with the patient. 

Cvp. It will tarry the rather, for the antiperistasis will 35 
keepe it in. 

Mer. I long to see the experiment. 

Cvp. 'W'Tiy, their marrow boiles already, or they are 
all turn'd eunuchs. 

Mer. Nay, and't bee so, I'le giue ouer speaking, and +° 
bee a spectator onely. '^J^'y ^'^'^f 

-I • 1 1 \ • • 1 • danced the 

Amo. Cynthia (by my bright soule) is a right exquis- first straine. 
ite, and splendidious lady; yet Amorphvs, I thinke, [262] 
hath seene more fashions, I am sure more countries: but 
whether I haue, or not, what neede wee gaze on Cyn- 45 
thia, that haue our selfe to admire? 

Pha. O, excellent Cynthia! yet if Phantaste sate 
where shee doo's, and had such a tire on her head (for 
attire can doe much) I say no more — but goddesses are 
goddesses, and Phantaste is as shee is! I would the 50 
reuells were done once, I might goe to my schoole of 
glasse, againe, and learne to doe my selfe right after all 
this ruffling. 

Mer. How now, Cvpid? here's a wonderfull change 
with your brandish! doe you not heare, how they dote? 55 

Cvp. What prodigie is this? no word of loue? no 
mention ? no motion ? 

Mer. Not a word, my little Ignis fatue, not a word. 

Cvp. Are my darts inchaunted ? Is their vigour gone ? 
is their vertue 6» 

41 {margin) haue danced the first] daunce the 1 45 not] 

no Q 53 iMusic: they begin the second dance. G 58 Ignis 

fatue] Hell- fire Q 



142 Cynthias Revels [act v 

Mer. What? CvpiD turn'd iealous of himself e? ha, 
ha, ha. 

Cvp. Laughs Mercvry? 

Mer. Is Cvpid angrie? 
65 Cvp. Hath he not cause, when his purpose is so deluded ? 

Mer. a rare comoedie, it shall be intitled, Cvpid s. 

Cvp. Doe not scorne vs, Hermes. 

Mer. Choller, and Cvpid, are two fiery things; I 
scome 'hem not. But I see that come to passe, which 
70 1 presag'd in the beginning. 

Cvp. You cannot tell: perhaps the physicke will not 
worke so soone vpon some, as vpon others. It may be, 
the rest are not so resty. 

Mer. Ex vngue, you know the old adage, as these, so 
75 are the remainder. 

Cvp. rie trie: this is the same shaft, with which I 
wounded Argvrion. 

Mer. I, but let mee saue you a labour, Cvpid: there 
were certayne bottles of water fetcht, and drunke off 
80 (since that time) by these gallants. 

Cvp. lovE, strike me into earth: The Fountayne of 
selfe-Loue ! 

Mer. Nay, faint not, Cvpid. 

Cvp. I remembred it not. 
£5 Mer. Faith, it was ominous to take the name of 
Anteros vpon you, you know not what charme or 
inchantment lies in the word : you saw, I durst not venter 
vpon any deuice, in our presentment, but was content to 
be no other then a simple page. Your arrowes properties 
90 (to keepe decorum) Cvpid, are suted (it should seeme) to 
the nature of him you personate. 

Cvp. Indignitie not to be borne. 

Mer. Nay rather, an attempt to haue beene forborne. 

77 [Waives his arrow again. G 



sc. xi] Cynthias Revels ■ 143 

Cvp. How might I reuenge my selfe on this insulting The second 
Mercvry? there's C rites, his minion, he has not ^*^^^'^^- 
tasted of this water. It shall be so. Is Crites turn'd 
dotard on himselfe too? 

Mer. That foUowes not, because the venome of your 
shafts cannot pierce him, Cvpid. 

Cvp. As though there were one antidote for these, and [263] 
another for him ? 

Mer. As though there were not! or as if one effect 
might not arise of diuers causes? What say you to 
Cynthia, Arete, Phronesis, Time, and others 
there ? 105 

Cvp. They are diuine. 

Mer. And Crites aspires to be so. 

Cvp. But that shall not serue him. 

Mer. 'Tis like to doe it, at this time. But Cvpid is 
growne too couetous, that will not spare one of a multitude, "o 

Cvp. One is more then a multitude. 

Mer. Aretes fauour makes any one shot-proofe The third 

• stfaific 

agamst thee, Cvpid. I pray thee, light hony-bee, re- 
member thou art not now in Adonis garden, but in 
Cynthias presence, where thornes lie in garrison about "s 
the roses. Soft, Cynthia speakes. 



L 



Act V. Scene x i . 
Cynthia, Arete, Crites, Masqvers. 
Adies, and gallants of our court, to end, 



And giue a timely period to our sports, 
Let vs conclude them with declining night; 

94 (margin) The . . . straine.] They daunce the 2. straine. Q 
96 water, [waves his arrow at Crites.] 99 Cvpid] om. Q 109 it] 
prettily well Q 112 {margin) The . . . straine.] They daunce 

the 3. straine. Q Act . . . Masqvers.] om. Q,G 1 Cynthia Q 

of . . . end] om. Q 2 And] To Q 



144 Cynthias Revels [act v 

Our empire is but of the darker halfe. 
5 And if you iudge it any recompence 

For your faire paines, t'haue earn'd Dianas thankes, 

Diana grants them: and bestowes their crowne 

To gratifie your acceptable zeale. 

For you are they, that not (as some haue done) 
lo Doe censure vs, as too seuere, and sowre, 

But as (more rightly) gracious to the good; 

Although we not denie, vnto the proud, 

Or the prophane, perhaps indeede austere: 

For so AcTAEON, by presuming farre, 
15 Did (to our grief e) incurre a fatall doome; 

And so, swolne Niobe (comparing more 

Then he presum'd) was trophaeed into stone. 

But are we therefore judged too extreme? 

Seemes it no crime, to enter sacred bowers, 
20 And hallowed places, with impure aspect. 

Most lewdly to pollute ? Seemes it no crime, 

To braue a deitie ? Let mortals learne 

To make religion of offending heauen; 
[264] And not at all to censure powers diuine. 

25 To men, this argument should stand for firme, 

"A Goddesse did it, therefore it was good: 

"We are not cruell, nor delight in bloud. 

But what haue serious repetitions 

To doe with reuels, and the sports of court ? 
30 We not intend to sowre your late delights 

With harsh expostulation. Let 't suffice, 

That we take notice, and can take reuenge 

Of these calumnious, and lewd blasphemies. 

For we are no lesse Cynthia, then we were, 
35 Nor is our power (but as our selfe) the same: 

Though we haue now put on no tyre of shine, 

11 as] are Q 



sc. xi] Cynthias Revels 145 

But mortali eyes vndaz'led may indure. 

"Yeeres are beneath the spheres: and time makes weake 

"Things vnder heauen, not powers which gouerne heauen. 

And though our selfe be, in our selfe, secure, 4° 

Yet let not mortals challenge to themselues 

Immunitie from thence. Loe, this is all: 

"Honour hath store of spleene, but wanteth gall. 

Once more, we cast the slumber of our thankes 

On your ta'ne toile, which here let take an end. 45 

And that we not mis-take your seuerall worths, 

Nor you our fauour, from your selues remooue 

What makes you not your selues, those cloudes of masque : 

"Particular paines, particular thankes doe aske. 

How ! let me view you ! ha ? Are we contemn'd ? rnZque' 

Is there so little awe of our disdaine, 

That any (vnder trust of their disguise) 

Should mixe themselues with others of the court ? 

And (without forehead) boldly presse so far. 

As farther none ? How apt is lenitie ss 

To be abusde ? seueritie to be loth'd ? 

And yet, how much more doth the seeming face 

Of neighbour-vertues, and their borrowed names, 

Adde of lewd boldnesse, to loose vanities ? 

Who would haue thought that Philavtia durst 60 

Or haue vsurped noble Storges name? 

Or with that theft haue ventred, on our eyes ? 

Who would haue thought, that all of them should hope 

So much of our conniuence, as to come 

To grace themselues, with titles not their owne? 6s 

In stead of med'cines, haue we maladies ? 

And such impostumes, as Ph an taste is, 

Grow in our palace ? we must lance these sores. 

Or all will putrifie. Nor are these all, [265] 

50 How ... ha ?] om. Q 

K 



146 Cynthias Revels [act v 

70 For we suspect a farder fraud then this: 
Take off our vaile, that shadowes may depart, 

And shapes appeare, beloued Arete So. 

Another face of things presents it selfe, 

Then did of late: What! featherd Cvpid mask'd? 

75 And mask'd Hke Anteros? And, stay! more strange! 
Deare Mercvrie, our brother hke a page. 
To countenance the ambush of the boy ? 
Nor endeth our discouerie as yet: 
Gelaia, hke a Nymph, that but ere- while 

8'' (In male attire) did serue An aides? 
Cvpid came hither to find sport and game, 
Who, heretofore hath beene too conuersant 
Among our traine ; but neuer felt reuenge : 
And Mercvrie bare Cvpid companie. 

85 Cvpid, we must confesse this time of mirth 
(Proclaim'd by vs) gaue opportunitie. 
To thy attempts, although no priuiledge; 
Tempt vs no farther, we cannot indure 
Thy presence longer : vanish hence, away. 

9° You, Mercvrie, we must intreate to stay. 
And heare what we determine of the rest; 
For in this plot, we well perceiue your hand. 
But (for we meane not a censor ian taske, 
And yet to lance these vlcers growne so ripe) 

95 Deare Arete, and Crites, to you two 
We giue the charge; impose what paines you please: 
Th' incurable cut off, the rest reforme, 
Remembring euer what we first decreed, 
Since reueUs were proclaim'd let now none bleed. 
^°° Are. How well Diana can distinguish times? 
And sort her censures ? keeping to her selfe 

75 like to Q And, stay] but Q 89 lExit Cupid. Q 

92 we . . . your] you haue the deepest Q 95 Crites . . . two] 

Criticus, to you Q 



sc. xi] Cynthias Revels 147 

The doome of gods, leauing the rest to vs ? 
Come, cite them, C rites, first, and then proceed. 

Cri. First, Philavtia (for she was the first,) 
Then hght Gelaia, in Aglaias name, "s 

Thirdly Phantaste, and Moria next, 
Maine folHes all, and of the female crew: 
Amorphvs, or Evcosmos conterfeit. 
Voluptuous Hedon tane for Evpathes, 
Brazen Anaides, and Asoxvs last, "• 

With his two pages, Morvs and Prosaites; 
And thou, the trauellers euill, Cos, approch. 
Impostors all, and male deformities 

Are. Nay, forward, for I delegate my power. [266] 

And will that at thy mercie they doe stand, "s 

Whom they so oft so plainely scom'd before. 
" 'Tis vertue which they want, and wanting it, 
"Honour no garment to their backes can fit. 
Then, C rites, practise thy discretion. 

Cri. Adored Cynthia, and bright Arete, "° 

Another might seeme fitter for this taske. 
Then C rites farre, but that you iudge not so: 
For I (not to appeare vindicatiue. 
Or mindfuU of contempts, which I contemn'd 
As done of impotence) must be remisse, "s 

Who, as I was the authour, in some sort, 
To worke their knowledge into Cynthias sight, 
So should be much seuerer to reuenge 
Th'indignitie, hence issuing to her name. 
But there's not one of these, who are vnpain'd, ^30 

Or by themselues vnpunished: for vice 
Is like a fune to the vicious minde, 
And turnes delight it selfe to punishment. 

103 Crites, first] Criticus Q 119 Then . . . thy] Now 

Criticus, vse your Q 122 Ckites farre] Criticus Q 

K2 



148 Cynthias Revels [act v 

But we must forward to designe their doome, 
13s You are offenders, that must be confest, 

Doe you confesse it? All. We doe. 
Cri. And, that you merit sharpe correction? All. Yes. 
Cri. Then we (reseruing vnto Deliaes grace. 

Her farther pleasure, and to Arete 
140 What Delia granteth) thus doe sentence you. 

That from this place (for pcenance knowne of all, 

Since you haue drunke so deeply of selfe-Loue) 

You (two and two) singing a palinode, 

March to your seuerall homes by Niobes stone, 
145 And offer vp two teares apiece thereon ; 

That it may change the name, as you must change, 

And of a stone be called weeping Crosse: 

Because it standeth crosse of Cynthias way. 

One of whose names is sacred Trivia. 
150 And, after pcenance thus perform'd, you passe 

In like set order, not as Midas did. 

To wash his gold off into Tagus streame. 

But to the well of knowledge. Helicon; 

Where purged of your present maladies, 
155 (Which are not few, nor slender) you become 

Such as you faine would seeme: and then returne, 

Of f ring your seruice to great Cynthia. 

This is your sentence, if the goddesse please, 
[267] To ratifie it with her high consent : 

160 "The scope of wise mirth vnto fruict is bent. 

Cyn. We doe approue thy censure, belou'd C rites. 

Which Mercvry, thy true propitious friend, 

(A deitie, next Iove, belou'd of vs) 

Will vnder-take to see exactly done: 
^65 And for this seruice of discouerie 

134 designe] define Q 136 All] Omnes Q 137 All. 

Yes.] Omnes. We doe. Q 155 not] nor Q 161 belou'd 

Cbites] Criticus Q 



sc. xi] Cynthias Revels 149 

Perform'd by thee, in honor of our name, 
We vow to guerdon it with such due grace. 
As shall become our bountie, and thy place. 
"Princes, that would their people should doe well, 
"Must at themselues begm, as at the head; 
"For men, by their example, patteme out 
"Their imitations, and reguard of lawes: 
"A vertuous Court a world to vertue drawes. 



Palinode. 

A MO. From Spanish shrugs, french faces, smirks, irps, 
and all affected humours: 175 

Chorvs. Good Mercvry defend vs. 

Pha. From secret friends, sweet seruants, loues, doues, 
and such phantastique humours. 

Chorvs. Good Mercvry defend vs. 

A MO. From stabbing of armes, flap-dragons, healths, iSo 
whiff es, and all such swaggering humours. 

Chorvs. Good Mercvry defend vs. 

Pha. From wauing of fannes, coy glaunces, glickes, 
cringes, and all such simpring humours. 

Chorvs. Good Mercvry defend vs. 185 

A M o. From making loue by atturny, courting of puppets, 
and paying for new acquaintance. 

Chorvs. Good Mercvry defend vs. 

Pha. From perfum'd dogs, munkeyes, sparrowes, dildo's, 
and parachito's. 190 

Chorvs. Good Mercvry defend vs. 

170 heads Q 173 Exeunt, Cynthia, Arete, S-c. Q 

Amorphus, Phantaste, &c., go off the stage in fairs, singing the 
following O Palinodia Q 



150 Cynthias Revels [epil. 

[268] A MO. From wearing bracelets oj haire, shooe-ties, gloues, 
garters, and rings with poesies. 

Chorvs. Good Mercvry defend vs. 

195 Pha. From pargetting, painting, slicking, glazing, and 
renewing old riueld faces. 

Chorvs. Good Mercvry defend vs. 

A MO. From squiring to tilt-yards, play-houses, pag- 
eants, and all such publique places. 
200 Chorvs. Good Mercvry defend vs. 

Pha. From entertayning one gallant to gull an other, and 
making fooles of either. 

Chorvs. Good Mercvry defend vs. 

A MO. From belying ladies fauours, noble-mens counte- 
205 nance, coyning counterfet imployments, vaine-glorious taking 
to them other mens seruices, and all selfe-louing humours. 
Chorvs. Good Mercvry defend vs. 

Song. 

NOw each one drie his weeping eyes, 
And to the well of knowledge haste; 
210 Where purged of your maladies. 

You may of sweeter waters taste: 
And, with refined voice, report 
The grace 0/ Cynthia, and her court. 

THE EPILOGVE. 

GEntles, be't knowne to you, since I went in 
I am tum'd rimer; and doe thus begin. 
The Author (iealous, how your sense doth take 

Song] CANT Q Mercury and Crites sing. G 211 

You] we Q Finis Actus quinti & vltimi. Q Epilogus. Q 



EPiL.] Cynthias Revels 151 

His trauailes) hath enioyned me to make 

Some short, and ceremonious epilogue; 5 

But if I yet know what, I am a rogue: 

He ties me to such lawes, as quite distract 

My thoughts; and would a yeere of time exact. 

I neither must be faint, remisse, nor sorry, 

Sowre, serious, confident, nor peremptory. 1° 

But betwixt these. Let's see; to lay the blame 12691 

Vpon the Childrens action, that were lame. 

To craue your fauour, with a begging knee. 

Were to distrust the writers facultie. 

To promise better at the next we bring, ^s 

Prorogues disgrace, commends not any thing. 

Stifly to stand on this, and proudly approue 

The play, might taxe the maker of selfe-Loue. 

Vie onely speake, what I haue heard him say; 

By ( — ) 'tis good, and if you lik't, you may. 2° 



THE END. 



Ecce rubet quidam, pallet, stupet, oscitat, odit. 

Hoc volo: nunc nobis carmina nostra placent. 



13 Fauours Q 20 (— )] God Q Finis. Q 



[270] 



This Comicall Satyre v/sls first 
acted , in the yeere 

1600. 



By the then Children of Queene 

Elizabeths 

Chappell. 



The principal! Comoedians were, 



Na 
Sa 



T. Field. I [ Ioh. Vnderwood. 
L. Pavy. [ { Rob. Baxter. 



Tho. Day. J | Ioh. Frost. 



With the allowance of the Master of Revells. 



TEXTUAL NOTES 

See the full discussion of the foho-variants under Remarks 
on the Variations in the Impressions of the Folio, in the 
Introduction. 

In the Ust which follows, the corrected reading has been 
given in each case first. Y represents the folio in the Yale 
Library; B, that reprinted by Bang; H, that in the Hague 
Library ; P, Professor Phelps ' copy. Signatures from the folio 
are given before the line-numbers, in order that the distribu- 
tion of more and less corrected sheets may be clearer. The 
most important variants, aside from those which represent the 
correction of evident errors, or an effort to secure uniformity 
of typography, are starred. 

If occasionally alterations on the corrected signatures do 
not appeal to us as changes for the better, we should bear in 
mind that Jonson's rules for punctuation were different from 
ours. The colon, for instance, as he tells us in his English 
Grammar {Wks. 9. 317), is used to separate a sentence ' perfect 
in itself, yet joined to another.' The comma, used by him 
with great freedom, is nothing more nor less than *a mean 
breathing.' Brinsley Nicholson, in his edition of Jonson 
{Mermaid) 1. Ixx-i, has an interesting discussion of Jonson's 
punctuation. 

selfe-Louei Y : selfe-loue B H P 
Benefactor ? or Y B H : Benefactor ? |or P 
church, in Y B H : church in P 
curious, and Y B H : curious and P 
band, this Y B H : band this P 
1. 4. 123 clothes, with Y B H : clothes with P 

^ This is shown to be the corrected reading by reference to other 
alterations made on the same side of this signature, which is a part of 
Every Man out of his Humor, the play that precedes in the folio. 



P5. 


Title-page 


Rl V. 


1. 4. 98 




1. 4. 99 




1. 4. 109 



154 Cynthias Revels 

1. 4. 125 vn-trauel'd Y B H : vntrauel'd P 

1. 4. 132 sir. I protest Y B H : sir, I protest P 

R 2 V. 1. 5. 38 Floates Y P : Floate B H 

R3. 1. 5. 41 ill-affected H : U-affected YBP 

1 5.42 follies. H: follies: YBP 

1. 5. 50 woo Y H : woe B P 

1. 5. 53 betray, her H : betray her YBP 

2. 1. 1 my H : by Y B P 

2. 1. 12 easinesse, and H : easinesse and Y B P 
2. 1. 14 mine: and H : mine; and YBP 
R 4 V. 2. 2. 60 cioppini H : Cioppini YBP 
2. 2. 65 rogue H : Rogue YBP 
*2. 2. 69 on 'hem time e- | nough: but H : on 

them time e- [ nough ; but YBP 
*2. 2. 74 strangenes H : stratagems YBP 
2. 2. 79 ordinarie H : ordinarie YBP 
2. 2. 83 laughter, Gelaia H : laughter Gelaia 

YBP 
2. 2. 94 healths, nor H : healths; nor YBP 
2. 2. 102 cockatrice, or H : cockatrice or Y B P 
R 5. *2. 3. 35 grauitie Y P : gratuitie B H 
R6. 2. 3. 104 clockes: for YBH: clockes; for P 

2. 3. 105 whetstone, his Y B H : whetstone his P 
2. 3. 109 cenchouies YBH: anchouies P 
2. 3. Ill clothes, and YBH: clothes and P 
2.3.131 cholericke, but YBH: cholericke; 

but P 
2. 3. 132 & order'd YBH: and order'd P 
Nature YBH: nature P 
iniurie YBH: injurie P 
prayses : I YBH: prayses ; I P 
S 1 V. 2. 4. 86 metaphysically: looke YBH : meta- 
physically; looke P 
too, of Y B : too of H P 
knowledge : and YBH: knowledge ; 
and P 
S 6. 3. 5. 54 adore and Y B : adore, and H P (only 

faint traces of the comma left) 



2. 


3. 


141 


2. 


3. 


153 


2. 


4. 


86 


2. 


4. 


100 


2. 


4. 


HI 



Textual Notes 155 

3. 5. 56 in this court, corner of the world, or 
kingdome Y B : in this court, corner 
of the world, or kingdome H P 
3. 5. 57 all, againe Y B H : all againe P 
3. 5. 75 Nymph Y B : Nymph H P 
3. 5. 90 The dash is not found in H and P. 

3. 5. 95 exoticke Y B : exotickes H P 
T 1. 4. 1. 10 mer curie B H P : Mercvry Y 

mee B H P : me Y 
4.1.26 tobe:IknowBHP : to be; I know Y 

4. 1. 29 trewnesse B H P : trunesse Y 

4. 1. 37 propitious, and B H P : propitious 

and Y 
*4. 1. 43 of 'hem al B H P : of them al Y 
4. 1. 50 Venetian B H P : Venetian Y 
T 1 V. 4. 1. 92 Ar I GVRioN, to Y : Ar I gvrion to BHP 
4. 1. 99 fashion ; Mary Y : fashion : Mary BHP 
T 6. 4. 3. 258 die-note Y : die-note BHP 

4. 3. 260 it and (separated by a wide space) ^ 

Y P : it, and B H 
4, 3. 269 kings . . . dukes Y : Kings . . . Dukes 

BHP 
*4. 3. 271 Brunswicke, the Lantgraue, Count Pala- 
tine Y : Brunswick, the Lantgraue, 
Count Palatine BHP 
4. 3. 296 him; he Y : him, he B H P 
*4. 3. 303 lords that brought Y : lords who 
brought BHP 
T 6 V. 4. 3. 316 loues BHP: loues Y 

4. 3. 329 judgement, | B H P : judgement | Y 
4. 3. 340 you, let B H P : you let Y 
4. 3. 345 hope, I B H P hope I Y 
*4. 3. 349 vpo' BHP vpon Y 

1 In several instances on pages which show the same state of 
correction, letters and stops have evidently failed to print; sometimes 
their growing dimness, sometimes spaces, in the other copies, make 
this clear. All such cases occurring in Y, or in corrected sheets 
adopted from other editions, are noted below (p. 157). 



156 






V3. 


4. 5. 


43 




*4. 5. 


62 


V4v. 


*5. 2. 


7 



Cynthias Revels 

twice, in Y H : twice in B P 
alter all this Y H : alter this B P 
of your own en- | dowments Y H : of 
your en- | dowments B P 
5. 2. 19 greene, and yellow Y H : greene, and 

yellow B P 
5. 2. 30 greene Y H : greene B P 
5. 2. 35 truenesse, (shee Y : truenesse ; (shee B P 
(in H the comma has ceased to print) 
Y2v. 5. 6. 52 Loue, for P : Loue; f or Y B H 
5. 6. 57 Any, the P : Any the Y B H 
5. 6. 77 argument, or P : argument or YBH 
5. 6. 84 hyperbole P : hyperbole YBH 
5. 6. 93 The comma after 'him' has become 
very faint in P and ceased to print in Y. 
Y 3 V. 5. 7. 26 thus, in Y : thus in B H P 

5. 7. 27 natural Affection Y : natural affec- 
tion B H P 
5. 7. 28 Storge, & Y : Storge, and B H P 
5. 7. 30 allowable selfe-loue Y : allowable self- 

loue B H P 
5. 7. 31 Perfection Y ; perfection B H P 
5. 7. 33 perpendicular Leuell, | vpon a Cube, 
or Square. Y : perpendicular leuell, 
vpon a Cube, or Square. B H P 
5. 7. 37 delectable and pleasant Conuersati \ on 
Y : delectable and pleasant Conuersa- 
1 tion B H P 
5. 7. 43 An alle- \ gorie Y : An Al- | legorie 

BHP 
5. 7. 46 Wittinesse Y : wittinesse BHP 
5. 7. 54 Simplicitie Y : simplicitie BHP 
5. 7. 57 siluer Y : Siluer BHP 
5. 7. 63 quaternion Y : Quaternion B H F 
Y4. 5. 8. 12 wane! Y: wane. BHP 

5. 8. 15 paule Y : pall BHP 
5. 8. 37 praise ( Y : praise; ( BHP 
5. 8. 46 m'indeuoursY : my ' ndeuours B H P 



Textual Notes 157 

Y 5, *5. 10. 1 (margin) Masques ioyne, and they P : 
Maskes ioyne, and Y B H 
5. 10. 14 little, indeed P : little indeed Y B H 

Z 1 V. 5. 11. 120 Arete, Y H : Arete; B P 

5. 11. 131 vnpunished : for Y H vnpunished for BP 
5. 11. 134 doome, YH : doome; BP 
5. 11. 147 weeping Crosse Y H : Weeping Crosse 
BP 

Z 3. The line printed under the Latin quotation in B and 

Y is found immediately after the Epilogue in H 
and P. 

As before stated, the Yale University copy has furnished the 
basis for the text here given, less corrected sheets being replaced 
from other copies. The text aims to be an exact reprint, 
except for the correction of certain obvious typographical 
errors, and the restoration of a few stops and letters which 
had evidently ceased to print. All such changes are noted 
in the list which follows. 

Induct. 164 3. Most : 3 Most Y 
2. 3. 54 Amo. : Ano. Y 

2. 4. 112 vanish : van sh Y 

3. 5. 14 it). : it) Y 

3. 5. 54 adore, and : adore and Y 

4. 1. 70 breadth. : breadth Y 
4. 2. 49 Mer. : Mor. Y 

4. 3. 188 slops. : slops, Y 

4. 3, 260 it, and : it and Y 

5. 2. 35 truenesse, she : truenesse she H 
5. 3. 39 her : he Y 

5. 3. 90 {margin) challenge : challeng Y 

5. 3. 119 retrograde : retrogade Y 

5. 4. 25 Amor. : Anor. Y 

5. 4. 340 muske : mukse Y 

5. 9. 35 (not : not (not Y 

5. 10. 66 Mer. : Mor. Y 

5. 11. 50 contemn'd : comtemn'd Y 

5. 11. 158 please, : please. H 



EXPLANATORY NOTES 

These notes include whatever has been thought valuable in 
previous editions, lack of space, however, making condensation 
often necessary. Notes signed W are from Whalley, G from 
Gifford, C from Cunningham. The Bibliography should be 
consulted for other abbreviated references and for editions of 
works cited. References to the text of Cynthia's Revels are 
to act, scene, and line of this edition; other references to 
Jonson are to the Cunningham-Gifford edition of 1875, act, 
scene, and page. Abridgment should be understood where 
matter apparently quoted is not included in quotation marks. 

QUARTO TITLE-PAGE 

priuately acted in the Black-Friers. The Blackfriars was 
built by James Burbage in 1596—7, in the precinct of Black- 
friars, at that time a popular resort for the nobility, who went 
there to play tennis. Evidently hoping to attract aristocratic 
audiences, he constructed a finer theatre than any in the city, 
the auditorium being covered; hence the expression, ' privately 
acted,' which implies no exclusion of the general public, but 
merely an indoor presentation, possibly approaching, in some 
details of the staging, the performances given at court. See 
Cambridge Hist, of Eng. Lit. 6. 288-90. 

the Children of her Maiesties Chappell. The organization of 
children's companies of players during Elizabeth's time, from 
the choristers of the Chapel Royal, St. Paul's Cathedral, the 
Royal Chapel of St. George at Windsor, and Westminster 
Cathedral, was a natural development of the earlier practice 
of using the choir boys in the miracle plays. A company of 
children, which was called 'The Children of Queen Elizabeth's 
Chapel, ' were the first actors in the new theatre at Blackfriars. 
'There is no evidence that the queen had any active part in 
the establishment or maintenance of the children of Black- 
friars, though, of course, the company could not have been 



i6o Cynthias Revels [quart. -tit. 

established or maintained without her tacit consent' {Cam- 
bridge Hist, of Eng. Lit. 6. 329) . After her death the company 
was reorganized as 'The Children of her Majesty's Revels.' 
Their great popularity excited the jealousy of adult actors. 
Shakespeare, whose company must have suffered in some de- 
gree because of the Children's popularity, was doubtless putt- 
ing his own thought into the mouth of Rosencrantz when the 
latter asserts that the boy actors shout at the top of their 
voices, get extravagantly applauded for it, and are so noisy 
that actors possessed of true wit dare not encounter them 
{Hamlet 2. 2. 353 ff.). After 1626 the children were no longer 
allowed to perform the double function of actor and chorister. 
The Children of Queen Elizabeth's Chapel also brought out 
Poetaster in 1601, and, as the Children of her Majestj^'s Revels, 
Epicoene in 1609. 

lohnson. The spelling 'Johnson' seems to have been pre- 
ferred by the poet till his publication of ' " Part of the Kings . . . 
Entertainment through . . . London . . . the 15th of Marche, 
1603 [4]." It was published with a Latin title-page, and 
therefore commenced B. Jonsonii, and ever thereafter he 
wrote himself in his publications, Jonson. This he may have 
adopted from, as above, its more literate — i. e., Latinate — 
form, or for the sake of singularity, and to separate himself 
from the common herd of Johnsons and Johnstones, or because 
he had become acquainted with the form Jansen, in his 
campaign in the Low Countries.' — Nicholson, Antiquary 
2. 55-6. 

Quod non dant Proceres, etc. Juvenal, Sat. 7. 90 and 93. 
The same lines are found on the title-page of the quarto of 
Every Man In. 

' Gifford seems to regard the motto ... as obscure, . . . but 
surely it is intelligible enough. The author has no Court 
patrons, and it is to the audience of a public theatre, from 
which he confessedly derives his means of support, that he 
appeals.' — Ward, Eng. Dram. Lit. 2. 353. 

Walter Burre. According to the Stationers' Register, on 
May 23, 1601, 'waiter Burre Entred for his Copye vnder the 
handes of master Pasfeyld and master warden whyte A booke 



FOL.-TIT.] Explanatory Notes i6i 

called NARCISSUS the fountaine of self love.' Burre was 
admitted as freeman to the Company on June 25, 1596; he 
entered books at infrequent intervals for twenty years, among 
them Every Man In, also published by him in 1601. Sejanus, 
Volpone, and the Alchemist were all entered by him on Oct. 3, 
1610. Though Burre was still publishing in 1614, it would 
seem that he had sold his shop in Paul's Churchyard by 
1602, for the earliest edition of the Merry Wives of Windsor 
is a quarto printed in 1602, 'by T. C. for Arthur Johnson; and 
are to be sold at his shop in Powles Church-yard, at the signe 
of the Flower de Leuse and the Crowne.' 

Paules Church-yard. Before the fire which destroyed the 
old Cathedral, St. Paul's Churchyard, the irregular area lined 
with houses and encircling the Cathedral and burial-ground, 
was chiefly inhabited by stationers, whose shops were then, 
and till the year 1760, distinguished by signs. — Wheatley 
and Cunningham, London Past and Present 3. 53 ff. 

FOLIO TITLE-PAGE 

Nasutum volo, nolo polyposum. Mart. 12. 37. 2. The 

whole epigram has been thus paraphrased : ' To a Wit about 
Town. You wish to be regarded as having an extremely good 
nose. I like a man with a good nose, but object to one 
with a polypus.' 

Wilham Stansby. Stansby's prominence as a printer is 
shown by the large number of books entered by him at Sta- 
tioners' Hall between the years 1611 and 1635. On Jan. 20, 
1615, he entered a book entitled: 'Certayne Masques at the 
Court never yet printed, written by Ben Johnson.' The 1620 
quarto of Epiccene, the 1635 quarto of Hamlet, and the second 
quarto of Love's Labor's Lost were also from his press. 

DEDICATION 

11 It is not pould'ring, perfuming, etc. An interesting 
expansion of the thought contained in this sentence occurs 
in Explorata, Wks. 9. 181—2, with the title De mollibus et 
effceminatis. See Introduction, p. xlii, where it is quoted in full. 

L 



i62 Cynthias Revels [ded. 

15 euen in the raigne of Cynthia. 'Cynthia was now 
dead, and this little reflection upon her memory, which might 
have been spared, was thrown in to cajole her successor. The 
quarto has no dedication.' — G. 

' Cynthia for Elizabeth and Phoebus for James may be said 
to be identical with the fulsome language in the Epistle 
Dedicatory to the Enghsh Bible — the "setting of that bright 
Occidental Star," and the "appearance of your majesty as 
of the sun in its strength." — C. 

So Bacon, Advancement of Learning, p. 181: ' Queen Eliza- 
beth and your Majesty, being as Castor and Pollux, lucida 
sidera, stars of excellent light and most benign influence.' 

17—8 Except . . . selfe-Loue. This must be read as a 
parenthetical expression; her, in 21 below, refers back to 
Cynthia. 

The Persons of the Play 

Except Cynthia (who of course represents Ehzabeth) ; 
Mercury, Cupid, and Echo, the three well-known characters of 
mythology, and Cos (L. whetstone), the persons of the play all 
bear names of Greek derivation, designed to suggest their 
respective characters. The children in the Induction give us 
most of the Enghsh equivalents, viz., Crites, the Scholar; 
Amorphus, the Deformed; Asotus, the Prodigal; Hedon, the 
Voluptuous; Anaides, the Impudent; Prosaites, the Begger; 
Morus, the Fool; Arete, Virtue; Phantaste, a light Witliness; 
Argurion, Money; Philautia, Self-Love; Moria, Folly; Gelaia, 
Laughter; the others are: Hesperus, the Evening Star; Mor- 
phides, the Son of Sleep; Phronesis, Prudence; Thauma, 
Wonder; Time, Honor. In order fully to understand the play, 
one must constantly bear in mind the allegorical nature of 
the characters. 

GARGAPHIE. A valley near Plataea, in Boeotia, which 
contained a fountain of the same name. It was celebrated 
as one of Diana's favorite retreats. 



IND.J Explanatory Notes 163 

CYNTHIAS REVELS 

After the second sounding. In Elizabethan theatres the 
second flourish of trumpets was the signal that the induction 
was to be spoken ; the third immediately preceded the prologue. 

INDVCTION 

12 I pleade possession of the cloake. Gifford cites He5rwood, 
Four Prentices of London, Prol. : ' Do you not know that I am 
the Prologue ? Do you not see this long blacke velvet cloake 
upon my backe ? ' 

36 lacke. The second boy is twice addressed as lacke in 
the Induction. Perhaps John Underwood or John Frost 
(see list of actors at the conclusion of the play) took this part. 

44 as any man (that hath hope to bee saued by his booke ) 
can witnesse. I. e., that can read: alluding, in the first place, 
to the so called neck-verse, and secondly, to the title of the 
play, which was written or painted in large letters, and stuck 
up in some conspicuous place. — G. 

The neck-verse was a Latin verse, formerly set before one 
claiming benefit of clergy, by reading which he might save 
his neck. — A^ED. Sir Philip Sidney mentions the custom 
of using signs to designate the scenes: 'What child is there 
that, coming to a play, and seeing Thebes written in great 
letters upon an old door, doth believe that it is Thebes ? ' 
{Defense of Poesy, ed. Cook, 36. 16—9.) 

50 take anie of our play-bookes without a Cvpid, or a 
Mercvry in it, and burne it for an heretique in Poetrie. A 
thrust chiefly aimed at Lyly, no doubt; Cupid appears in 
Sapho and Phao (1591), in Gallathea (1592), and in Love's 
Metamorphosis (1599—1600?); and both Cupid and Mercury 
appear in the Woman in the Moone (1597). See Introduction, 
pp. Ivii ff. 

54 Eccho. The nymph Echo, condemned by Juno to speak 
only the last words that others spoke, saw and loved the 
beautiful youth Narcissus. Her love was repulsed; heart- 
broken, she faded away till only her voice remained. Another 
nymph, similarly rejected, implored Heaven that Narcissus 

L2 



164 Cynthias Revels [ind. 

might also so love, nor enjoy the object loved. Bending 
over a spring in a forest, he saw the image of himself and 
loved it passionately, but finding his efforts to embrace it 
in vain, he, too, pined away and died. The dryads who came 
to bury him saw only a yellow flower with white petals where 
his body had lain (Ovid, Met. 3. 339-510). 

72 the traueller, who hath the whetstone following him. 
I. e., Cos. In Elizabethan times the whetstone was the 
prize for lying; it was evidently deemed appropriate as a 
symbol of the sharpening which the wits had to undergo in 
order to attain success in falsehood. The impossible stories 
of Amorphus, the traveler, make it fitting that he should 
be accompanied by such a page. Cf. Lingua 2. 1 (Dodsley's 

0. PI. 9. 363) : ' I must borrow thy whetstone, to sharpen the 
edges of my martial compliments'; also As You Like It 

1. 2. 58: 'The dullness of the fool is the whetstone of the wits.' 
85 your begger begins to waite close. Much is made of 

the 'close waiting' of the pages on their masters. Perhaps 
it was a new affectation of the gallants at this time to keep 
pages constantly in attendance at their elbows. Cf. 2. 3. 81 ; 
4. 3. 375; 4. 4. 40; 4. 5. 131. 

95 you shall see her play in a blacke robe anon. In 5. 4. 23 
Crites is called 'this fellow i' the blacke-stuffe,' and in 
4. 1. 85, 'the poore plaine gentleman, i' the blacke, there.' 
The silken courtiers of Elizabeth's day looked on black 
garments with a feeling akin to horror. In Shirley's Lady 
of Pleasure (2. 1, p. 25), Lady Bornwell almost faints on seeing 
her nephew return from college dressed in black, and loses 
no time in putting him into a gayer suit. Earle {Micro- 
cosmographie, p. 45) thus characterizes a young gentleman of 
the university : ' Of all things hee endures not to be mistaken 
for a Scholler, and hates a black suit though it be of Sattin.' 

98 yet. Occasionally, as here, Jonson's use of yet {' never- 
theless') approaches singularly close to the German dock. 

122 hauing paid my monie at the doore. At this time the 
theatre probably had a single door where the audience entered ; 
they paid the doorkeeper, who placed the money in a box 
which he held; previous to 1616 the price probably varied 



IND.] Explanatory Notes 165 

between eighteen pence for the best seats to a penny or so 
for the pit or gallery. — CoUier, Eng. Dram. Poetry 3. 146—7. 
For an interesting discussion of the construction of the 
Elizabethan playhouse, see Cambridge Hist, of Eng. Lit. 
6. 290-306. 

124 thiee sorts of tabacco. Joshua Sylvester's poem, 
Tobacco Battered, mentions no less than four varieties then 
in use: Ball, Leafe, Cane, and Pudding-packs {Wks. 2. 274). 

According to Harrison, tobacco had already been introduced 
into England by 1573, and was inhaled as a cure for certain 
lung diseases, but it was Raleigh's example some years later 
that made smoking fashionable (Traill, Social Eng. 3. 571—2). 
Its consumption in theatres is often mentioned; cf. Middleton, 
Black Book 8. 42: 'Barnaby Burning-glass, arch-tobacco- 
taker of England, in ordinaries, upon stages both common 
and private'; and Bar. Fair (5. 3, p. 482), where we are told 
that it is one of the duties of the 'pretty impudent boys' to 
'fill tobacco.' 

127 At the breaches he takes his tabacco. This represents 
Jonson's development of an idea already used in Every Man 
Out (3. 3, p. 119), where Fastidious ' takes tobacco between the 
breaks.' When he has finished, Macilente comments : ' I never 
knew tobacco taken as a parenthesis before.' 

134 the verie stench of 'hem would poison mee. Jails at 
this time were foul and unclean beyond description, and 
bred a pestilent fever which swept away many prisoners 
(Traill, Social Eng. 3. 563). The seven hospitals of London 
were hardly more inviting, being merely asylums for the 
poor, aged, and diseased, not hospitals in our sense of the 
word; see note on 1. 4. 97. 

1 44 What ? vpon the stage, too ? See the Guls Hornbooke, Pr. 
Wks. 2. 247—9, for a splendid satire on this absurd practice; 
Gifford thinks Dekker got more than a hint from Jonson's 
ridicule of the custom here. Dekker thus concludes: 'By 
sitting on the stage, you may (with small cost) purchase the 
deere acquaintance of the boyes: have a good stoole for 
sixpence: at any time know what particular part any of the 
infants present: get your match lighted, examine the play- 



l66 Cynthias Revels [ind. 

suits lace, and perhaps win wagers upon laying tis copper, 
&c. And to conclude, whether you be a foole or a Justice of 
peace, a Cuckold, or a Capten, a Lord-Maiors sonne, or a 
dawcocke, a knave, or an under- Sherife; of what stamp 
soever you be, currant, or counterfet, the Stage, hke time, 
will bring you to most perfect light and lay you open.' See 
also Every Man Out 1. 1, p. 31, where Carlo advises Sogliardo 
to sit on the stage and flout, provided he has a new suit ; and 
Epigrams, Wks. 8. 151, where Lieutenant Shift 

Calls for his stool, adorns the stage: god pays. 

154 a piece of perspectiue. This certainly appears like an 
allusion to some sort of stationary scenery, though critics at 
present incline to the view that there was none used at this 
time on the public stage (Cambridge Hist, of Eng. Lit. 6. 303). 
Of course stage-properties were numerous and elaborate, and 
painted scenes had been used for a long time at court. In 
1580, for example, William Lyzarde was paid for painting 
'seven cities, one country-house, one battlement, a mount, 
and two great cloths' (Collier, Eng. Dram. Poetry 3. 174). 

156 I am none of your fresh pictures. ' When the tapestry 
decayed, its defects seem to have been supplied by paint ; or, 
perhaps, pictures were hung over it to conceal its defects.' — 
Collier, Eng. Dram. Poetry 3. 173, note. 

169 properties. This word was 'technically applied to the 
appurtenances of the stage as early as the year 1511.' — 
Collier, Eng. Dram. Poetry 3. 250. 

178—97 The strictures in this speech are probably meant 
for Dekker and Marston, toward whom Jonson felt at this 
time particularly bitter. They are both arraigned as plagia- 
rists in Poetaster (5. 1, p. 488), and certainly prided themselves 
on the rapidity of their workmanship, since they made fun 
of Jonson for his slow habits of composition [Satiromastix, 
pp. 191, 200, 202). Cf. also Poetaster, Apologetical Dialogue, 
p. 519. 

181 the more iudicious part of it. 'He [Jonson] despised 
the popular judgment with an arrogance unparalleled in 
the annals of literature, although he constantly professed 



IND.] Explanatory Notes 167 

himself solicitous of the favorable opinion of the judicious ' 
(SchelHng, Ben J onsen and the Classical School, p. 12). Thus 
in the Prologue to Every Man Out (p. 14) he calls on his 
'judicious friends' to censure him where he wants either art 
or judgment; and in Poetaster, Apologetical Dialogue, p. 
520, he says: 

... if I prove the pleasure but of one, 
So he judicious be, he shall be alone 
A theatre unto me. 

184 leaue to bee. This use of the infinitive for the gerundive 
is common with Jonson; cf. Abbott, § 356. 

188 laundresse. Apphed to women of doubtful reputation; 
cf. Nashe, Lenten Stuff e {Wks. 3. 214), where he describes 
counsels who 'rage & fly out they care not howe against a 
mans life, his person, his parentage, . . . little remembering 
their owne privy scapes with their landresses.' Cook {Mod. 
Phil., vol. 4, April, 1909) gives other instances where 'laundress' 
has this sense, among them Chaucer, Prol. Leg. Good Women 
A. 333, 334: 

Envye (I prey to god yeve hir mischaunce!) 
Is lavender in the grete court alway. 

191 liu'd wholy vpon another mans trencher. — aliena 
vivere quadra. Juvenal, Sat. 5. 2. — G. 

195 nor how manie coaches came, etc. I. e., how many 
of the aristocracy rode on horseback or in coaches to their 
plays. Collier {Eng. Dram. Poetry 3. 214) relates how the 
inhabitants of Blackfriars petitioned the Privy Council 
against the nuisance of so many coaches, which brought 
auditors to, or carried them away from, the theatre there. 
Dekker {Guls Horn-booke, Pr. Wks. 2. 246) mentions 'Hobby- 
horses, to ride to the new play.' 

203 ghosts of some three or foure playes, etc. It was 
a common practice of the day to revise and revive a once 
popular play; see Henslowe's Diary (ed. Greg) 2. 148—235. 
Fleay (Chron. of the Eng. Drama 1. 363) suggests Lyly's 
Love's Metamorphosis and Kyd's Hieronimo; probably Fleay 



i68 Cynthias Revels [ind. 

means the First Part of leronimo, for such a remark would be 
impossible in regard to a play Jonson had himself helped to 
revive (see note on 218). 

212 and yet will censure as desperately, etc. Jonson must 
early have been impressed with the hypercritical nature of 
many in his audiences, for even in The Case is Altered (2. 4, pp. 
338—9) we find him attacking the 'ignorant critics': 'But 
the sport is at a new play, to observe the sway and variety of 
opinion that passeth it. A man shall have such a confused 
mixture of judgment, poured out in the throng there, as 
ridiculous as laughter itself. One says he hkes not the writing, 
another likes not the plot, another not the playing : and some- 
times a fellow, that comes not there past once in five years, 
at a parliament time, or so, will be as deep mired in censuring 
as the best, and swear by God's foot he would never stir his 
foot to see a hundred such as this.' 

218 That the old Hieronimo, (as it was first acted), etc. 
This makes it appear that the Spanish Tragedy (it went 
generally by the name Hieronimo) had already by 1600 
undergone the alterations for which Jonson received a loan 
on Sept. 25, 1601 (Henslowe, Diary 1. 149); unless, indeed, 
Jonson merely refers to the revision it was given when it was 
revived as a new play in 1597 by the Admiral's men. The 
editions, however, show no change till 1602 (Greg, ed. of 
Henslowe' s Diary 2. 153—4). 

220 when Monsievr was heere. 'In 1579 the Duke of 
Anjou, brother to Charles IX, king of France, came into Eng- 
land and paid his addresses to Queen Elizabeth, who cajoled 
him for some time, and then sent him home in disgrace. His 
residence here seems to have formed an era for our old drama- 
tists, who make frequent mention of it. Thus Middleton 
{Mad World my Masters 4. 2, p. 321) : " It was suspected much 
in Monsieur's days.'" — G. See also Middleton, Black Book 
8. 16; Conversations, Wks. 9. 395; and Mercury Vindicated, 
Whs. 7, 237. For a full account of this, EHzabeth's most 
serious courtship, see Hume, Courtships of Queen Elizabeth, 
pp. 114—43. 

231 child. The quarto has Sail', probably Salathiel Pavy 



PROL.] Explanatory Notes 169 

played this part. From 52 above, we learn that the role of 
Anaides fell to him. For additional information, see remarks 
under 'The principall Comoedians' at the conclusion of the 
notes. 

PROLOGVE 

1—2 attention . . . apprehension. The metre necessitates 
the pronunciation of -Hon and -sion each in two syllables. Cf. 
Abbott, § 479. 

7—8 These lines, incorrectly quoted, appear in Satiromastix, 
p. 213 ; they are put into the mouth of Horace, who continues 
thus : 

No, our sharpe pen shall keep the world in awe, 
Horace thy Poesie, wormwood wreathes shall weare. 
We hunt not for mens loves but for their feare. 

17 Then cast those piercing raies, etc. His muse prefers 
to wear, not the usual wreath of laurel, but a crown composed 
of the gracious silence, sweet attention, and quick apprehension 
of the judicious. 

19 poesie. Two syllables; according to NED., posy, a 
syncopated form of poesy, was often pronounced in two 
syllables, even when written in full. 

20 Words, aboue action. No one can object to the diction 
of Cyn. Rev. Castelain {Ben Jonson, p. 268) says : ' La piece 
est admirablement ecrite; disons-le, c'est la mieux ecrite 
de toute I'ceuvre de Jonson.' But the generally excellent 
diction does not compensate for the worst defect of the play, 
the almost total lack of dramatic action, of which Jonson 
here speaks with actual pride. 

matter, aboue words. Cf. Explorata, Wks. 9. 204: 'It was 
well noted by the late lord St. Alban, that the study of words 
is the first distemper of learning ; vain matter the second ; and 
a third distemper is deceit. . . . All these are the cobwebs of 
learning and to let them grow in us, is either sluttish, or 
foolish.' Jonson refers to A dvancement of Learning, pp. 190— 1 . 
In Explorata, Wks. 9. 144, under the title Lingua sapientis, 
potius quam loquentis, he expresses a similar thought: 'But 
you shall see some so abound with words, without any season- 



170 Cynthias Revels [act i 

ing or taste of matter, in so profound a security, as while 
they are speaking, for the most part they confess to speak 
they know not what.' 

ACT I 

1.1.1 Who goes there ? The quotations which follow show 
how freely Jonson drew on Lucian for this scene. Gifford 
remarks that in elegance and sprightliness of style this 
dialogue is not a whit inferior to any in that lively Attic 
writer. 

1. 1. 10 you ha' not a finger, but is as long as my quiuer, 
etc. Lucian, Dial, of Gods 7 (tr. Fowler 1. 67): 

HephcBstus. So light-fingered? 

1. 1. 14 You did neuer steale, etc. Lucian, Dial, of Gods 
7 (tr. Fowler 1. 67): 

Apollo. That baby a treasure? well, in mischief, 
lapetus is young beside it. 

HephcBstus. Why, what harm can it do, only just 
born? 

Ap. Ask Posidon; it stole his trident. Ask Ares; he 
was surprised to find his sword gone out of the scabbard. 
Not to mention myself, disarmed of bow and arrows. 

1. 1. 15 Mars his sword. The use of his after a substantive 
instead of the genitive inflexion was most prevalent from 
1400 to 1750. In the 16th— 17th centuries it was chiefly used 
with names ending in s. — NED. 

1. 1. 22 what are you? any more then my vncle loves pandar, 
etc. Lucian, Dial, of Gods 24 (tr. Fowler 1. 86): 

Hermes. Mother, I am the most miserable god in 
Heaven. 

Maia. Don't say such things, child. 

Her. Am I to do all the work of Heaven with my own 
hands, to be hurried from one piece of drudgery to 
another, and never say a word ? I have to get up early, 
sweep the dining-room, lay the cushions and put all to 
rights : then I have to wait on Zeus, and take his messages, 
up and down, all day long : and I am no sooner back again 
(no time for a wash) than I have to lay the table; and 



ACT i] Explanatory Notes 171 

there was the nectar to pour out, too, till this new cup- 
bearer was brought. And it really is too bad, that when 
every one else is in bed, I should have to go off to Pluto 
with the shades, and play the usher in Rhadamanthus' 
court. It is not enough that I must be busy all day in 
the wresthng-ground and the Assembly and the schools 
of rhetoric, the dead must have their share in me, too.' 

1. 1. 26 warble vpon a crowde a little. Lucian, Dial, of 
Gods 15 (tr. Fowler 1. 74): 

Hermes. I am a healthy fellow, and can touch the 
lyre. 

See also ibid. 7 (p. 68). 

' To warble on a crowd, is a Latinism, canere tibia.' — G. 

See Glossary for Crowde. 

1. 1. 30 call. A strange use of call; perhaps, aided by his 
magic wand. Mercury needed to do no more than command, 
and the stools assumed their proper places. 

1. 1. 46 wee who haue made the whole bodie of diuinitie 
tremble at the twang of our bow. Lucian, Dial, of Gods 6 (tr. 
Fowler 1 . 66) : 

Zeus. Yes, Love is all-powerful ; and not with mortals 
only: we Gods have sometimes fallen beneath his sway. 

Hera. He has made himself master of you; no doubt 
of that. 

1. 1. 47 and enfore'd Satvmivs, etc. See Lucian, Dial, 
of Sea-Gods 6 (tr. Fowler 1. 96). 

1. 1. 56 You haue forgot since I tooke your heeles vp into 
aire, etc. Lucian, Dial, of Gods 7 (tr. Fowler 1. 67—8) : 

Yesterday he challenged Eros — tripped up his heels 
somehow, and had him on his back in a twinkhng ; before 
the applause was over, he had taken the opportunity of a 
congratulatory hug from Aphrodite to steal her girdle; 
Zeus had not done laughing before — the sceptre was gone. 
If the thunderbolt had not been too heavy, and very hot, 
he would have made away with that too. 

1. 1. 67 I heard, you but look't in at Vulcans forge, etc. 
Lucian, Dial, of Gods 7 (tr. Fowler 1. 67): 



1^2 Cynthias Revels [act i 

Apollo. Ah, you will find out, Hephaestus, if he gets 
within reach of you. 
Hephaestus. He has been. 

Ap. Well? all your tools safe? none missing? 
Heph. Of course not. 
Ap. I advise you to make sure. 
Heph. Zeus! where are my pincers? 

1. 1. 74 shittle-cocks. Shuttle-cock, like tennis, was a 
favorite sport among the courtiers; cf. Robert Armin, Two 
Maids oj Mot e-clacke [Grosavt's Occasional Issues 13. Ill): 

O sir, a Courtier on my life, I love to sit up late, 
Ly long it'h morning, rot with sweete meates, and 
To play at shuttle-cock. 

1. 1. 90 I'le discouer my whole proiect. See Introduction, 
p. Ixi. 

1. 1. 93 diuine iustice on Acteon. Ovid {Met. 3. 138-252) 
relates how Actaeon, who was hunting in the Vale of Gargaphia, 
which contained a wood and spring sacred to Diana, chanced 
to come upon the goddess while bathing; the latter, in wrath, 
turned him to a stag, and he was killed by his own dogs. For 
a discussion of Actaeon's identity, see Introduction, pp. 
XXV ff, 

1. 1, 121 Eccho. See note on Induct. 54. 

1. 2. 5 pittying. The metre requires its pronunciation in 
two syllables. 

1. 2. 17 Shrin'd in this yellow flowre, that beares his name. 
In 1599 Daffodil was the common name for the genus Narcissus, 
according to the Catalogue of Gerarde's Garden, where twelve 
different varieties are distinguished. — NED. Ovid {Met. 6 
509—10) describes the flower as yellow, with white petals: 

Nusquam corpus erat: Croceum pro corpore florem 
Inveniunt, foliis medium cingentibus albis. 

1. 2. 25 trophsee. Jonson prefers the Latin form, as also 
hyesna, 1. 3. 5; pcene, 5. 2. 44; ceternitie, 5. 4. 649; ccelestial, 
5. 8. 8; pcenance, 5. 11. 141. 

1. 2. 51 " So wretched is it to be meerely rich. Quotation- 
marks were placed by Jonson at the beginning of a line to call 



ACT i] Explanatory Notes 173 

the reader's attention to a particularly expressive thought or 
aphorism, not to indicate that the words are quoted. In this 
play thirty-four lines are thus emphasized. It was Jonson's 
practice to put direct quotations in italics. 

1. 2. 54 Satvmia. I. e., daughter of Saturnus, Juno, 
1. 2. 58 sing some mourning straine, etc. Gifford quotes 
Milton's Lycidas 12—4, as an imitation of this passage: 

He must not float upon his watery bier 
Unwept, and welter to the parching wind. 
Without the meed of some melodious tear. 

1. 2. 59 obtaine. For this absolute use of obtain, cf. Tindale, 
1 Cor. 9. 24: ' So runne that ye maye obtayne.' 

1. 2. 63 musicque from the spheares. This theory of Pythago- 
ras was a favorite of the EHzabethans ; cf. T. Night 3. 1. 120— 1 : 

I had rather hear you to solicit that 
Than music from the spheres. 

For a full discussion of the idea see Cook, Notes on Milton's 
Ode on the Morning of Christ's Nativity {Trans. Conn. Academy 
of Arts and Sciences, vol. 15, July, 1909), pp. 342—4. 

1. 2. 68 diuision. See Glossary, and cf. Vision of Delight, 
Wks. 7. 293: 

And crested lark doth his division run; 
Rom. and Jul. 3. 5. 29: 

Some say the lark makes sweet division; 

1. Hen. IV, 3. 1. 210-1: 

Sung by a fair queen in a summer's bower, 
With ravishing division, to her lute. 

1. 2. 85 Niobe. Niobe, in the pride of her twelve children, 
scorned Latona, who, though a goddess, had given birth to 
but two. Apollo and Diana avenged this insult to their mother 
by slaughtering Niobe's children. Niobe herself was borne 
away in a hurricane to Phrygia: 



174 Cynthias Revels [act i 

Ibi fixa cacumine montis 
Liquitur, et lacrymas etiamnum marmora manant. 

Ovid, Met. 6. 311.-2. 

Professor Cook has pointed out to me the possibility that 
this removal of the weeping Niobe to the brink of the fountain 
of Self-Love may have been suggested to Jonson by Chap- 
man's Ovid's Banquet of Sense (1595) 19—23: 

Stone Niobe, whose statue to this fountain. 
In great Augustus Caesar's grace was brought, 
From Sypilus, the steep Mygdonian mountain; 
That statue 't is, still weeps for former thought, 
Into this spring Corinna's bathing place. 

For Niobe's allegorical significance, see Introduction, 
pp. XX vi ff . 

1. 2. 86 Phoebe. Diana. 

1. 3. 4 I am neither your Minotaure, etc. I. e., I am no 
loathsome monster (as your precipitous flight from me would 
make it appear), but a mere man, a traveler. Amorphus 
mentions only monsters possessed of human characteristics. 
Hyenas were greatly dreaded as having the power of counter- 
feiting human speech, by which means they enticed men from 
their houses and devoured them; cf. C. is Altered 5. 1, p. 380: 
'O what hyena caU'd me out of doors?' 

1. 3. 8 I guess' d it should bee some trauailing motion 
pursude Eecho so. Baskervill {Eng. Elements in Jonson's 
Early Comedy, pp. 245—6) enumerates many plays in which 
echo songs and scenes appear, and concludes by remarking 
that Jonson in this passage 'satirizes his own device as the 
peculiar fad of the puppet-show,' 

Our Punch-and-Judy shows bear a striking likeness to 
the motions or puppet-shows which delighted the Eliza- 
bethans. The figures were moved about by an 'interpreter,' 
who, as his title implies, had also the duty of furnishing either 
a dialogue or a running commentary. In the T. of a Tub 
(5. 5, pp. 221-4) and in Bar. Fair (5. 3, pp. 482-508), Jonson 
has furnished us with two excellent examples of how these 
shows were actually conducted. For a full discussion, see 
Alden's Bar. Fair, Introd., pp. xv— xviii, and p. 212. 



ACT i] Explanatory Notes 175 

1. 3. 17 I am a Rhinoceros, etc. For an interesting parallel 
to this speech, see Introduction, p. Ixxiii. 

1. 3. 28 a beautifull and braue-attir'd peece. Cunning- 
ham says : ' Jonson is very fond of using this word in what (in 
certain circles) is its present sense. This is worth noting, as it 
is never so employed by Shakespeare.' He then cites Alchem. 
2. 1, p. 68: 

'Fore God, a Bradamante, a brave piece; 

also Voip. 1. 1, p. 172; D. A. 3. 1, p. 87; 5. of News 1. 2. p. 
185; Mag. Lady 4. 1, p. 75; ibid. 5. 2, p. 93. 

But the meaning of piece in all these cases (except the last, 
where we have the usual modern sense) is nothing more than 
person, personage, individual. This sense, though now archaic 
or dialectal, was common during the 14th, 15th, and 16th cent- 
uries, and was used by Shakespeare, as the following citations 
show : Pericles^. 2. 47— 9 : ' Master, I have gone through for this 
piece, you see : if you Uke her, so ; if not, I have lost my earnest.' 
Cf. also Troil. and Cres. 4. 1. 62; Tit. Andron. 1. 309; Tempest 
1. 2. 56. 

1. 3. 31 refin'd by trauell. Travel had suddenly gained a 
tremendous vogue ; and the affected manners and dress of the 
traveler, acquired abroad, soon made him a stock figure for 
ridicule. Cf. Shakespeare's acute satire in ^s You Like It 4. 
1. 33—41; Bacon's essay Of Travel (conclusion); and Ascham's 
opinion of Italian travel, quoted in note on 1. 4. 125. 

1. 3. 32 able to tender the face of any states-man lining. 
The quarto reads make ; the expression is sufficiently explained 
in 2. 3. 11 ff., where Amorphus makes divers faces for Asotus' 
instruction. 

1. 3. 34 sixth returne vpon venter. This has reference to 
a strange custom of Elizabeth's time, which the hazards of 
travel had given rise to. A man insured himself when going 
abroad by depositing a certain sum, which was restored to 
him doubled, trebled, or even, as here, sextupled, upon his 
safe return. In Every Man In (2. 1, p. 70) Puntarvolo says: 
'I do intend, this year of jubilee coming on, to travel: and 
because I will not altogether go upon expense, I am determined 



176 Cynthias Revels [act I 

to put forth some five thousand pound, to be paid me five for 
one, upon the return of myself, my wife, and my dog from the 
Turk's court in Constantinople. If all or either of us miscarry 
in the journey, 't is gone : if we be successful, why, there will 
be five and twenty thousand pound to entertain time withal.' 
Shakespeare refers to the practice in the Tempest (3.3. 43—8) : 

When we were boys, 
Who would believe that there were mountaineers 
Dew-lapp'd Uke bulls, whose throats had hanging at 'em 
Wallets of flesh? or that there were such men 
Whose heads stood in their breasts? which now we find 
Each putter-out of five for one will bring us 
Good warrant of. 

For a further discussion, cf. Furness, Tempest, pp. 179—81. 

1. 3. 36 the true lawes of the duello. See note on 4. 5. 96. 

1.4— For the relation which this scene bears to the anony- 
mous play Timon, see Introduction, pp. Ixxii ff. 

1. 4. 4. Nee plaeere diu, etc. Horace, Ep. 1. 19. 2. Jonson 
sHghtly misquotes — Horace has Nulla plaeere. 

1. 4. 6 Helicon. A mountain in Bceotia, sacred to the Muses, 
in which rose the fountains of Aganippe and Hippocrene ; by 
16th and 17th century writers often confused with these. — 
NED. 

1. 4. 17 That's to be argued. That's a matter for argument, 
for disagreement. 

1. 4. 18 Encomio Demosthenis. § 15 (tr. Fowler 4. 150) : 

CaUisthenes remarked of iEschylus that he wrote his 
tragedies in wine, which lent vigour and warmth to his 
work. With Demosthenes it was otherwise ; he composed 
not on wine but on water. 

1. 4. 24 Indeed (I thinke) next a trauailer, he do's prettily 

well. Jonson was unquestionably an admirer of Lucian, as 
his adaptation of the Dialogues of the Gods, ante, 1. 1, shows; 
in Exploraia, Lucian is quoted several times. 

1. 4. 28 Duke of Ferrara's bottles. The dukes of Ferrara 
maintained an important position among the nobles of Italy 
till the province over which they ruled was united to the Papal 
domain in 1598, 



ACT i] Explanatory Notes 177 

1. 4. 30 Philargsrrvs. ^ikccQyvQog, fond of money, covetous. 

1. 4. 51 pray you make this gentleman and I friends. Cun- 
ningham notes this objective use of /. Toward the end of 
the 16th and in the 17th century, it was very frequent, and 
not considered ungrammatical (NED.). Jonson used it 
elsewhere; cf. Every Man In 5. 1, p. 143: 'Step. O, yes, uncle; 
Brainworm has been with my cousin Edward and I all this 
day.' Abbott says certain cases where / is used for me may 
represent an effort to gain euphony and emphasis, though 
'"Tween you and I" seems to have been a regular Elizabethan 
idiom' (§ 205). 

1. 4. 84 ragioni del stato. ' Discourse of state,' as the quarto 
has it; Gifford cites William Cartwright, Ordinary 1. 4 (Dods- 
ley's 0. PI. 12. 229), where Hearsay, 'agent of princes' is 
described: if he were dissected, every state would be found 
within him, 'and ragioni di Stato reek in all.' Bacon uses the 
phrase in Advancement of Learning, p. 178. 

1. 4. 94-6 As also their reUgion, in pulling downe a super- 
stitious crosse, and aduaneing a Venvs, or Priapvs, in place of 
it ? ' This alludes to the practices of the Puritans. Stow tells 
us, that many of the lower images belonging to the cross in 
Cheapside were frequently broken, or pulled down ; and partic- 
ularly, that about the year 1596 "under the image of Christ's 
resurrection defaced, was then set up a curiously wrought 
tabernacle of grey marble ; and in the same an image alabaster 
of Diana, and water conveyed from the Thames prilling from 
her naked breast."' — W. {Survey of London, p. 261.) If 
Jonson really had this incident in mind, his reflection is not 
on the Puritans, who may or may not have torn the images 
down, but on the city officials, who, instead of replacing them, 
substituted a statue of Diana. 

Priapvs was the Greek and Roman god of procreation. 

1. 4. 97 hospitall. Stow {Survey of London (written 1598), 
p. 434—6) gives a brief account of the ' Hospitals in this City 
and Suburbs thereof that have been of old Time, and now 
presently are.' At the time of his writing, seven of the twenty 
he mentions had been suppressed; four of the seven were 
'endowed by the Charity and benevolence of the citizens of 

M 



178 Cynthias Revels [act i 

London.' Some had originally been founded as insane asylums 
and refuges for lepers, but those remaining at this time all 
filled the office of poorhouses. 

1. 4. 98 so many buckets bestow'd on his parish church. 
The invention of the fire-engine will soon make this allusion 
unintelligible. The buckets were hung up in the parish church 
to extinguish fires, just as 'escapes' now stand in some 
churchyards. — C. 

1. 4. 102 posts. 'The sheriffs had posts set up before their 
door, on which proclamations were fastened, which it was 
usual, out of respect, to read bare-headed.' — W. 

Cf. W. Tale 3. 2. 102-3: 

myself on every post 
Proclaim'd a strumpet; 

T. Night 1. 5. 156-7: 'he says, he '11 stand at your door like 
a sheriff's post.' 

1, 4. 114 His eye waters after it. A similar pun on the word 
humorous is found in 1. 3. 23. 

1. 4. 119 ribband. The quarto ha.s Rose. Roses were knots 
of ribbon, used as shoe-ties. Sometimes the gallants wore 
them of huge size; in D. ^. 1. 2, p. 19, Fitzdottrel thus speaks 
of the roses which Pug (a devil disguised as a gallant) wore : 

My heart was at my mouth, 
' Tin I had view'd his shoes well : for those roses 
Were big enough to hide a cloven foot. 

1. 4. 125 as I am vertuous (being altogether vn-trauePd), 

etc. The double meaning is apparent. Jonson doubtless 
shared Roger Ascham's well known opinion of Italian travel : 
' Italie now, is not that Italie, that it was wont to be : and 
therefore now, not so fitte a place, as some do counte it, for 
yong men to fetch either wisedome or honestie thence.' — 
Scholemaster, p. 223—4. 'And now chose you, you Italian 
English men, whether you will be angrie with us, for caUing 
you monsters, or with the Italianes, for callyng you devils, or 
else with your owne selves, that take so much paines, and go 
so farre, to make your selves both.' — Ibid., p. 229. 



ACT i] Explanatory Notes 179 

1. 4, 132 I protest, sir. Deemed at this time a highly absurd 
and affected expression: cf. Marston, What You Will 2. 1. 
76-8 (p. 347): 

O this hot crackhng love. 
That blazeth on an instant, flames me out 
On the least puff of kindness, with 'protest, protest!' 

For other instances, see Dyce's Glossary to Shak. The word 
occurs very frequently in this play, and generally in a speech 
of obvious affectation. 

1. 4. 147 or so. I. e., or about as you would go. This indef- 
inite use of so was not, as now, employed particularly in 
reference to number; it occurs often in Jouson's works; thus 
in Every Man Out 1. 1, p. 33, Sogliardo says: 'I will take 
occasion of sending one of my suits to the tailor's, to have the 
pocket repaired, or so.' 

my intelligence shall quit my charge at all times. 'I.e., what 
I learn will always be at least equal in value to my expenses.* 
— C. 

1. 4. 151 beauer. 'Howell sends home one from Paris 
(Letter 17) as a great rarity.' — G. {Familiar Letters of James 
Howell 1. 46.) 

Beavers were worn by women as well as men ; cf . Mag. Lady 
5. 2, p. 93: 

You shall have a new, brave, four-pound beaver-hat, 
Set with enamell'd studs, as mine is here. 

Sixty years later they were still highly esteemed, and very 
costly; Pepys {Diary 2. 56) says: 'This day Mr. Holden sent 
me a bever, which cost me £4 5s.' Later {ibid. 2. 212) he tells 
us he was troubled by the ' badness ' of a hat he had borrowed 
to save his beaver. 

1. 4. 153 After your French account? A quibbhng allusion 
to the French (venereal) disease, whose affection of the scalp 
was known as French crown. Shakespeare often alludes to 
it; cf. Meas. for Meas. 1. 2. 46 ff. : 

Lucio. I have purchased as many diseases under her 

roof as come to 

Sec. Gent. To three thousand dolours a year. 

M2 



i8o Cynthias Revels [act i 

First Gent. Ay, and more. 
Lucio. A French crown more. 

Cunningham cites Upton, Observations on Shak. (London, 
1746), p. 163. 

1. 4. 157 your band is conceited too! Band generally meant 
collar, but the sense here is probably hatband; hatbands, 
features of an up-to-date gallant's costume, are several 
times mentioned by Jonson; cf. Every Man Out 4. 4, p. 145: 
' I had on a gold cable hatband, then new come up, which I 
wore about a murrey French hat I had.' Dekker {Guls Horn- 
booke, Pr. Wks. 2. 234) gives this advice to gallants: 'Put off 
to none, unlesse his hatband be of a newer fashion then yours, 
and three degrees quainter.' The quarto has Button instead 
of band. For a while buttons had been superseded by laces 
and points; when this was written they were once more 
gaining their lost popularity. Planche says : ' They were made 
as now, of gold, silver, brass, and other metals, horn, mother- 
of-pearl, ivory,' etc. {Cyclo. of Dress 1. 67). 

1. 4. 163 aJter the Italian manner. 'L e., with a hope to 
have it refused.' — G. 

1. 4. 183 be not so sad, be not so sad. * Probably the burden 
of some forgotten song.' — Dyce, Remarks, p. 280 

1. 4. 186 it will take any blocke. Like our panama hats; 
see Dekker, Guls Horn-booke, Pr. Wks. 2. 234, where he dec- 
lares a gallant should be contemned who does not ' know what 
fashioned block is most kin to his head.' 

1. 4. 188 It hath these vertues beside. The story of the magic 
hat was transmitted to England by the Volksbuch of Fortu- 
natus. This tale was used in a play called the First part of 
Fortunatus, which in 1596 had great success at Henslowe's 
Theatre (Herford, Lit. Rel. of Eng. and Germany, pp. 210—1). 
In 1599, Dekker rewrote the play; this earlier version may 
have given Jonson his idea, but cf. Old Fortunatus, pp. 111—2: 

Fort. A course felt Hat? is this the precious Jewel? 
Sould. He not exchange this, for ten Diadems. . . . 
Fort. But now uncover the vertues of this Hatte. . . . 
Sould. You see tis poore in shew; did I want Jewels, 



ACT ii] Explanatory Notes l8i 

Gold could beget them, but the wide worlds wealth 
Buyes not this Hat; this clapt upon my head, 
I (onely with a wish) am through the ayre. 
Transported in a moment over Seas, 
And over lands to any secrete place. 

That the story of Fortunatus' hat was a favorite with 
Jonson is shown by his mention of it elsewhere: C. is Altered 
1. 2, p. 321; Fortunate Isles, Wks. 8. 69. Baskervill {English 
Elements in Jonson's Early Comedy, pp. 242—4) points out 
a number of parallels between Cyn. Rev. and Old Fortunatus. 

1. 5. — Criticvs. The single instance where Jonson forgot 
to change from the quarto reading to Crites. 

1. 5. 8 How happily hath fortune furnisht him with a 
whetstone ? See note on Induct. 72, and 2. 3. 105, where a 
similar joke is had at the expense of Amorphus. In 5. 11. 112, 
Cos is called 'the trauellers euill.' 

1. 5. 33 a man. It is odd that the superfluous a slipped into 
the carefully edited folio. It was properly omitted by the 
editor of the 1716 edition and by subsequent editors. 

1. 5. 49—54 Gifford says: 'This passage is well abridged by 
Pope {Essay on Man, Ep. 2. 217-8): 

Vice is a monster of so frightful mien 
As, to be hated, needs but to be seen.' 

Pope had, of course, not this passage, but one from Dryden, 
in mind {Hind and Panther 1. 33—4). 

1. 5. 64 And no one saw the motion, but the motion. ' As if 
we were without spectators, and none but the puppets saw 
the puppet-show.' — G. He supports this interpretation 
from the quarto, where motion is in both places distinguished 
by itahcs and capitals. 

ACT II 

2. 1. 4 since wee are tum'd cracks. See Glossary, and In- 
duct. 156 and 174. Shakespeare uses the word twice; cf. 
Coriol. 1. 3, 73—4: ' Val. Indeed, la, 't is a noble child. Vir. 
A crack, madam.' Whalley quotes He5rwood, Four Prent. of 
Lond. 1.1.253: 



i82 Cynthias Revels [act li 

It is a rogue, a wag, his name is lacke, 
A notable dissembling lad, a Cracke. 

2. 1. 22 page, boy, and sirha: these are all my titles. Cf. 4. 

5. 140-1. 

2. 1. 42 monkie. In Jonson's day monkeys shared with 
lap-dogs the honor of being fashionable pets ; notice Tabitha's 
remark in Armin's Two Maids of More-clacke (Grosart's 
Occasional Issues 13. 108—9): 

I am a blood of gentle composition, . . . 
I must have fancies, playfellowes, as apes, 
Monkies, baboones. 

In the Palinode (5. 11. 189) Phantaste prays Mercury to de- 
fend her from perfumed dogs, sparrows, and parrots, as well 
as from monkeys. 

2. 1. 45 his bathing-tub is not suspected. I. e., to have 
been used for the cure of the 'French disease.' This practice 
was deemed a fit subject for jest in the time of Elizabeth, 
Beaumont and Fletcher having at least four whimsical allu- 
sions to it. 

2. 1. 49 himseUe is a rimer, and that's a thought better then 
a poet. Cf. Explorata, Wks. 9. 215: 'The common rhymers 
pour forth verses, such as they are, ex tempore; but there 
never comes from them one sense worth the life of a day. A 
rhymer and a poet are two things.' 

2. 1. 56—8 more . . . then come to the lanching o! some three 
ships. In Eastward Hoe 3. 2. 17—24 {Belles-Lettres Series), 
Jonson ( ?) alludes to the crowds which were attracted to the 
launching of a ship: 

Gazer: Did you see the new ship lancht last day, 
Mistresse Fond? 

Fond. O God! and we cittizens should loose such a 
sight ! 

Gaz. I warrant here will be double as many people to 
see her take coach as there were to see it take water. 

2. 1. 59 he do's hire a stocke of apparell, etc, Baskervill 
{Eng. Elements in Jonson's Early Comedy, pp. 273—4) has 
pointed out Jonson's obligation in this character-sketch to 



ACT ii] Explanatory Notes 183 

Nashe's primrose knight of Primero (Lenten Stuffe, Wks. 3. 
148—9) : ' His purse is on the heild and only fortie shillings hee 
hath behinde, to trie his fortune with at the cardes in the 
presence; which if it prosper, the court cannot containe him, 
but to London againe he will, to revell it, and have two plays 
in one night, invite all the Poets and Musitions to his chamber 
the next morning; where, against theyr comming, a whole 
heape of money shall bee bespread uppon the boord, and all 
his trunkes opened to shewe his rich sutes.' 

do's. In Elizabethan Enghsh no rule had been estabUshed 
for the insertion or omission of do and did. Cf. Abbott, § 306. 

2. 1. 61 He's thought a verie necessarie perfume for the 
presence, etc. Cf. Shirley, Lady of Pleasure 2 2, p. 33: 

Celestina. He is full of powder; 
He will save much in perfume for my chamber. 
Were he but constant here. 

2. 1. 68 how many shirts he has sweat at tennis. No more 
popular nor aristocratic pastime existed. Henry VII, Henry 
VIII, and Charles II were all devoted to the game (Strutt, 
Sports and Pastimes, p. 94), and even Bacon advocated it. 
Stow, in describing the sports of Old London, says: 'The ball 
is used by noblemen and gentlemen in tennis courts, and by 
people of meaner sort in the open fields and streets' {Survey 
of London, p. 119). Cf. Nashe, Lenten Stuffe, Wks. 3. 148: 
'What then ? he payes for the ten dozen of balles hee left uppon 
the score at the tennis court ' ; and Dekker, Guls Horn-booke, 
Pr. Wks. 2. 240: 'how often you have sweat in the Tennis- 
court with that great Lord.' 

2. 2. 8 he has the philosophers stone. The discovery of the 
Philosopher's Stone, to which was attributed the property 
of turning base metals to silver or gold, was the chief end of 
alchemy. Jonson's most powerful comedy is the Alchemist, a 
satire on alchemy and the swindles connected with it. See 
Hathaway 's ed. of the Alchemist, Introduction. 

2. 2. 28 nicke. See Glossary. 

2. 2. 46 shee alwayes weares a muffe. The use of a muff 
solely as a protection against the cold seems to be a late 



184 Cynthias Revels [act n 

development. Here it is worn indoors as an ornament, and 
was apparently so worn even in the eighteenth century, since 
we find Sophia, in Tom Jones, Bk. 5, chap. 4, troubled, as 
she played the harpsichord, by having her muff slip over her 
hand. Muffs were first used in France in the latter part of 
the sixteenth century, whence they were introduced into Eng- 
land. They were made of satin or velvet, lined and trimmed 
with fur (Planche, Cyclo. of Costume 1. 373), and if we may 
judge from engravings of the time, were similar in form to 
those used to-day. They were sometimes perfumed ; cf. Dekker, 
Match me in London, Dram. Wks., p. 153: 'Shopkeeper. Is 
the imbrodered Muffe perfum'd for the Lady?' Men as well 
as women used them in the seventeenth century; cf. Pepys, 
Diary 2. 380: 'This day I first did wear a muff, being my wife's 
last year's muff, and now I have bought her a new one, this 
serves me very well.' 

2. 2. 48 for your hands haue wit enough to keepe themselues 
waime. Proverbial; cf. Heywood, Wise-woman of Hogsdon 
2.1, p. 295: 'You are the Wise- woman, are you? and have wit 
to keepe your selfe warme enough, I warrant you.' — G. 

2. 2. 54 aboue all your potato's, or oyster-pyes in the 
world. 'Oysters still retain their reputation [as an aphrodisiac], 
but faith in the potato has departed.' — C. 

2. 2. 59 Cioppini. 'A kind of high slippers for low women.' 
— Cotgrave. They were worn in Spain about 1600, and 
though Itahan dictionaries do not have the word, they must 
have been fashionable there for a time, since travelers describe 
them, and English writers preferred the Italian spelling. This 
reference suggests Cory at' s account (cited by Gifford), of which 
Jonson later made extensive use in Z). /I. 4. 1, p. 106 ff. 
Coryat {Crudities 1 . 400) describes the ' Chapineys ' of the 
Venetians, which they wore under their shoes, gilded affairs 
of such height that women of wealth had servants accompany 
and support them to keep them from falling. 'I saw a woman 
fall a very dangerous fall,' he relates, 'as she was going down 
the staires of one of the Uttle stony bridges with her high 
Chapineys alone by her self: but I did nothing pitty her, be- 
cause shee wore such frivolous and . . . ridiculous instruments.' 



ACT II] Explanatory Notes 185 

2. 2. 63 pride will haue a fall. Cf. Prov. 16. 18 : 'Pride goeth 
before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall'; and 
Richard II 5. 5. 88: 'Since pride must have a fall.' 

2. 2. 66 poesies for rings. 'A motto inscribed on the inner 
side of a ring. The fashion of putting such "posies" on rings 
prevailed from the middle of the 16th to the close of the 17th 
century. Inscriptions on the outside of rings have been 
common from the old Greek and Roman times.' — Rolfe 
(quoted in Furness' Mer. of Venice, p. 259). Cf. Shirley, Lady 
of Pleasure 1.1, p. 15: 'This ring was her's. . . . You borrowed 
it to copy out theposj^.' In 4. 5. 115 of our play, Asotus proudly 
confesses that he has devised as posy for a ruby ring : Let this 
blush for me. 

2.2.11 he has two essentiall parts of the courtier, pride, 
and ignorance. Cf. Dekker, Satiromastix, Dram. Wks., p. 244: 

Horace. Why, would you make me thus the ball of 
scorne? . . . 

Tucca. He tell thee why, because thy sputtering 
chappes yelpe, that Arrogance, and Impudence, and 
Ignoraunce, are the essentiall parts of a Courtier. 

2. 2. 81 blush no more then a sackbut. Proverbial; NED. 
quotes Trapp, Comm. on Ezra 9. 6: 'But he is past grace that 
is past shame, and can blush no more then a sackbut.' 

2. 2. 89 Hee neuer drinkes below the salt. 'He never drinks 
to those at the lower end of the table. It refers to the rhanner 
in which our ancestors were usually seated at their meals. 
The tables being long, the salt was commonly placed about 
the middle, and served as a kind of boundary to the different 
quality of the guests invited. Those of distinction were ranked 
above; the space below was assigned to the dependents, or 
inferior relations of the master of the house.' — W. Gifford 
adds that the salt-cellar was of very large size, so that the 
mortification of the humbler guests was complete. Those 
below the salt sometimes fared ill, if we may trust a passage in 
Beaumont and Fletcher, Woman-Hater 1. 2, p. 17, which 
mentions 'great, cumbersome, uncut-up pies at the nether 
end, filled with moss and stones, partly to make a show with, 
and partly to keep the lower mess from eating.' Dekker {Guls 



i86 Cynthias Revels [act il 

Horn-booke, Pr. Wks., 2. 244) speaks of sitting 'one degree 
towards the Equinoctiall of the Salt-seller.' 

2. 2. 90 gold-laee, or tissue. For tissue, see Glossary. Gold 
and silver lace was so extensively worn by the nobility that 
by 1629 it was being made in England more cheaply than in 
Venice, a city long celebrated for its production (Planche, 
Cyclo. of Costume 1. 332—4). 

2. 2. 94 neuer kneeles but to pledge healths. It was a com- 
mon custom to kneel when drinking healths. Notice the 
following expressions of Jonson's thought: Marmion, Anti- 
quary 2. 1 (Dodsley's 0. PL 13. 441): 

Drank to your health whole nights in hippocras 

Upon my knees with more religion 

Then e'er I said my prayers: which Heaven forgive me; 

Prynne, Healthes: Sicknesse, pp. 11—12: 'Witnesse the com- 
mon practice of many ; who are more frequent, serious, solemne, 
and devout upon their knees in the bottome of a Seller at 
their Healthes, then ever they are at their prayers in their 
Clossets, or Families. . . . Now to be thus scrupulous, solemne, 
exact, and serious, in drinking Healths with bended Knees . . . 
what is it, but ... to pervert and abuse those solemne, reve- 
rend, and religious gestures ; which we should appropriate, and 
principally reserve to God.' 

In 1628 William Prynne pubhshed a pamphlet of 125 pages, 
in which he condemned the drinking of healths, with great 
energy, enforcing his arguments by the Scriptures, by councils, 
and by ' the verdict of prophane and heathen writers.' He 
laid great force on the argument that duels and quarrels were 
the outgrowth of this 'healthing,' since it was the practice for 
one gallant to command another to pledge his health or fight 
him, and on the plea that it led to excessive drinking; his 
arguments on the latter point sound strangely like those used 
against student drinking-customs in Germany to-day. Although 
Jonson was a heavy drinker himself {Conversations, Wks. 
9. 416), he was sane enough to see the excess into which this 
drinking of healths was leading men, and honest enough to 
oppose it. 



ACT II] Explanatory Notes 187 

2. 2, 95 He wil blaspheme in his shirt. The fact that Jonson's 
characters are so generally addicted to the use of oaths must 
not be taken to indicate that Jonson himself sanctioned the 
practice. Here, for example, he mentions swearing as a vice, 
and in his Epistle to a Friend [Wks. 8, 360) he gives this final 
piece of advice: 

And last, blaspheme not; we did never hear 
Man thought the valianter, 'cause he durst swear. 

2. 2. 99 to a friend in want, etc. Gifford quotes Juvenal, 

Sat. 7. 74: 

Non habet infelix Numitor quod mittat amico, 
Quintillse quod donet habet. 

2. 2, 100 soldred groat. Cunningham quotes from a Scotch 
Act of Parhament, A. D. 1489: 'It is ordanit that the said gold 
or silver sal. be ressaifit be all his liegis, sa that it keip all the 
wecht, and be gude trew mettell, suppois it be with crak or 
flaw or soldit.' 

2. 3. 1 You are now within in regard of the presence. 1. e., 
imagine yourself in the presence-chamber, being viewed by 
the assembly. Presence was applied both to the state-room 
in the palace where the courtiers received their monarch, and 
occasionally, as here, to those assembled in such a room. The 
quarto reads simply 'within regard,' etc., and all editions 
subsequent to the folio have dropped the unnecessary in; it 
probably represents a corruption, though the sense remains 
perfect either way. 

2. 3. 6 when the wolfe enters. See 2. 3. 78, and note. 

2. 3. 14 those, which hold the face to be the index of the 
mind. Not an uncommon idea from early times; cf. Cicero, 
de Or. 3. 59. 221 : ' Animi est enim omnis actio, et imago animi 
vultus, indices oculi.' Shakespeare gives us the opposite view 
in Macbeth 1. 4. 12-3: 

There's no art 
To find the mind's construction in the face. 

2. 3. 17 euery your most noted. Every was not uncom- 
monly used for all. See Abbott, § 12, and cf. Bacon, Advance- 



i88 Cynthias Revels [act ii 

ment of Learning, p. 178: 'Learning ministereth in every of 
them greater strength of medicine.' 

2. 3. 31 intricate face. Cf. Earle, Microcosmographie, p. 66: 
An Attorney: 'His skin becomes at last as dry as parchment, 
and his face as intricate as the most winding cause.' 

2. 3. 43 as it went with a vice. // is imphed in the subjunc- 
tive; so in Macbeth 1. 4. 11: 'As 'twere a careless trifle'; see 
Abbott, §§ 107 and 102. This is a reference to the Vice, the 
stock buffoon in the old moralities ; cf. C. is Altered 2. 4, p. 340 : 
'using their wryed countenances instead of a vice, to turn the 
good aspects of all that shall sit near them, from what they 
behold'; and Every Man Out, Induct., p. 19. 

2. 3. 49 Somewhat a northerly face. This phrase, which 
was added in the folio, is to me inexplicable; one would expect, 
from the context, 'southerly face.' 

2. 3. 50 ut-. See Glossary. 

2. 3. 66 quaint kind of melancholy. The degree to which 
this absurd affectation was practiced is shown by Jonson's 
many references; cf. Volp. 2. 2, p. 370: 'Daw. I'll be very 
melancholy, i' faith' ; Every Man Out 5. 4, p. 181 : '5og, Ay, 
and bring up supper ; for I am so melancholy' ; Every Man In 
3. 1, p. 63: 'Step. Ay, truly, sir, I am mightily given to melan- 
choly. Mat. Oh, it's your only fine humor, sir; your true 
melancholy breeds your perfect fine wit, sir. I am melancholy 
myself, divers times, sir, and then do I no more but take pen 
and paper, presently, and overflow you half a score, or a dozen 
of sonnets at a sitting.' Other dramatists ridicule this prac- 
tice; cf. King John 4. 1. 13—6: 

Arth. Methinks no body should be sad but I: 
Yet, I remember, when I was in France, 
Young gentlemen would be as sad as night. 
Only for wantonness. 

2. 3. 70 place your mirrour in your hat. 'They must have 
their looking glasses caryed with them whersoever they go. 
And good reason, for els how cold they see the devil in them ? 
for no doubt they are the devils spectacles to allure us to pride, 
& consequently to destruction for ever.' — Stubbes, Anatomy 



ACT ii] Explanatory Notes 189 

of A buses, p. 79. Gifford says : 'Both sexes wore them publicly, 
the men, as brooches, or ornaments in their hats; and the 
women at their girdles, on their breasts, or attached to fans.' 

2. 3. 78 Lupus in — . Like our ' talk of the devil,' etc. Cf. 
Cic. Ait. 13. 33a: 'DeVarrone loquebamur; lupus in fabula; 
venit enim ad me.' 

2. 3. 90—1 He walkes most commonly with a cloue, or pick- 
tooth in his mouth. The chewing of cloves was apparently 
common, even in Jonson's day ; cf . Masque of Christmas, Wks. 
7. 265: 'Why, I have cloves, if it be cloves you want, I have 
cloves in my purse, I never go without one in my mouth.' The 
use of toothpicks, which was a custom newly introduced from 
abroad, receives much ridicule. Thus in Beaumont and 
Fletcher, Queen of Corinth 2. 4, p. 430: 

Now you that trust in travel, 
And make sharp beards and little breeches deities. 
You that enhance the daily price of toothpicks, etc.; 

and in Honest Man's Fortune 5. 3, p. 443: 

You have travell'd like a fiddler to make faces. 
And brought home nothing but a case of toothpicks. 

2. 3. 94 his beard an Aristarchus. A thrust at his hyper- 
critical affectation. Aristarchus, a celebrated Greek gram- 
marian who lived about 156 B. C, was noted as a severe 
critic of the Homeric poetry, many lines of which he rejected 
as spurious. Jonson had no high opinion of him, to judge 
from Every Man Out, Induct., p. 19: 

How monstrous and detested is't, to see 
A fellow, that has neither art nor brain, 
Sit hke an Aristarchus, or stark ass. 

2. 3. 99 ten constables are not so tedious. Constables were 
proverbially dull; cf. Glapthorne, Wit in a Constable 4. 1, p. 
222: 

Bus. Now, or never Busie 

Shew thy selfe a true sparke, that Constables 
Hereafter may be thought to have some wit, 
More than is in their staffe. 



igo Cynthias Revels [act ii 

The 'two foolish officers,' Dogberry and Verges, in Much Ado, 
are, of course, the classic examples, though the idea is every- 
where met with in the literature of this time. 

2. 3. 104 lowder then most clockes. Clocks were being 
imported from Germany, and their clumsiness and cumber- 
some machinery are often referred to; cf, L. L. L. 3. 1. 192—3: 

A woman that is like a German clock, 
. Still a-repairing, ever out of frame. 

2. 3. 106 Zani. See Glossary. 

2. 3. 110 hee. Amorphus. 

2. 3. 160 Citherea. Venus; she received this name from 
the island of Cythera, which was celebrated for her worship, 
and near which, according to some traditions, she rose from 
the sea-foam. 

2. 3. 164 that affords but an ill blazon. The heraldic tinc- 
tures are of three classes, the metals, the colors, and the furs. 
A blazon is a description of a coat of arms, phrased in technical 
heraldic terms. A metal may be placed upon a color, or a 
color upon a metal, or either upon a fur, or a fur upon either; 
but to charge a field of any tincture with a bearing of a tincture 
of the same class, i. e., a metal upon a metal, a color upon a 
color, or a fur upon a fur, is false heraldry (condensed from 
Nason, Heralds and Heraldry in Ben Jonson's Plays, p. 79). 

2. 3. 169 A Nymph, etc. Jonson's Epistle to Elizabeth, 
Countess of Rutland {Wks. 8.267) has a partial personification 
of 'almighty gold' which reminds one of this character of 
Argurion. For Jonson's debt to Aristophanes, see Intro- 
duction, p. Ixiv. 

2. 3. 183 alchemist. See note on 2. 2. 8. 

2. 4. 1 fanne. Fans first appeared in England in Ehzabeth's 
reign ; they were made of feathers, and hung at the girdle from 
a gold or silver chain. Gosson's Pleasant Quippes jar Upstart 
Newfangled Gentlewomen (1595), p. 7, contains a dehghtful 
satire upon them. 

Were fannes, and flappes of feathers fond, 

to flit away the flisking flies, 
As taile of mare that hangs on ground, 

when heat of summer doth arrise. 



ACT li] Explanatory Notes 191 

The wit of women we might praise, 
For finding out so great an ease. 

But seeing they are stil in hand, 

in house, in field, in church, in street. 
In summer, winter, water, land, 

in colde, in heate, in drie, in weet, 

I judge they are for wives such tooles 
As babies are in playes for fooles. 

2. 4. 16 a strange word, etc. Probably an allusion to Mar- 
ston's 'fustian' vocabulary. In Poetaster 5. 1, pp. 490—2, at 
Crispinus' (Marston's) trial, a poem, full of the outlandish 
words which Marston used, is produced and read; Crispinus 
admits the authorship. Later a physic is administered to him 
which causes him to disgorge a score or two of these words. 
In Every ManOutS. 1, pp. 95—6, Clove is made to speak a fustian 
dialect which includes words used by Marston in Histriomastix 
and the Scourge of Villanie (see Introduction, p. xlv). H. C. 
Hart supposes some of Jonson's satire on strange words to be 
aimed at Gabriel Harvey [Notes and Queries, Ser. 9, vol. 12, 
pp. 342 ff.). 

2. 4. 17 wroong it in. In Astrophel and Stella XV, Sidney 
advises poets not to wring into their verse every flower they 
have found growing on old Parnassus. 

2. 4. 20 Shee will tell you, Philosophie, etc. Moria, in her 
folly, believes herself comparable to Philosophy, and by 
asserting that the latter was a reveler in her youth, seeks to 
justify her own early life of frivolity. 

2. 4. 23 also, what a sweet dogge shee had, etc. This 
seems to be Folly's way of characterizing her lost opportunity. 

2. 4. 67 I had worne it almost a day. This desire for variety 
and change in costume, if we may believe Harrison, was not 
confined to the court; see his Elizabethan Eng., pp. 107—8: 
' Sith the phantastical folly of our nation (even from the 
courtier to the carter) is such that no form of apparel Uketh 
us longer than the first garment is in the wearing, if it continue 
so long. . . . And as these fashions are diverse, so Ukewise it is 
a world to see the costliness and the curiosity, the excess and 
the vanity, the pomp and the bravery, the change and the 



192 Cynthias Revels [act ii 

variety, and finally the fickleness and the folly, that is in all 
degrees, insomuch that nothing is more constant in England 
than inconstancy of attire.' Stubbes [Anatomy of Abuses, 
p. 50) remarks on the same restless desire for change in costume : 
* To begin first with their Hattes, . . . now red, now greene, now 
yellowe, now this, nowe that, never content with one colour 
or fashion two dayes to an ende.' 

2. 4. 70 'Tis after the Italian print. Gifford suggests Hahiti 
Antichi e Moderni di Cesar e Vecellio, Venice, 1589. 

2. 4. 75 to burne juniper in my chamber. 'The seeds and 
wood were formerly burnt as purifiers of the air.' — NED. 
Deliro in Every Man Out (p. 6) is in the habit of sacrificing 
twopence of juniper to his wife every morning. 

2. 4. 78—9 retainers . . . Suburbe-sunday-waiters . . . 
courtiers for high dayes. The court-ladies undoubtedly felt 
themselves greatly superior to all other women; these are 
probably terms of contempt for such as had no regular place 
at court, but paid their homage there on high days (holidays 
and special occasions). The badly regulated outer parts of 
the cities, where prostitutes and scamps assembled, were 
termed suburbs; and the name was always equivalent to low 
or mean, provided it bore no worse implication. 

2. 4. 108 The Nymphs that make her traine. We hear little 
enough of these virtuous ladies, but Jonson is obviously under 
the necessity of mentioning some such personages in order to 
make clear that the Queen's own circle is of a different stamp 
from Philautia, Moria, and Phantaste. 

2. 5. Beggars' Rime, 10 Fadingers. A fading was a sort of 
Irish dance, still popular in Ireland in 1800, when Malone 
investigated and described it in an effort to explain Shake- 
speare's reference to it in W. Tale 4. 4. 195. See discussion 
in Furness' W. Tale, pp. 208—9. 

2. 5. Beggars' Rime, 11 Thomalins. I have been unable to 
determine the meaning of this word ; a query sent to Sir James 
Murray brought no answer, which leads me to believe that 
he is also ignorant of its meaning. 

2. 5. 20 vpon the rushes. Till the 17th century the floors of 
apartments were strewn with green rushes; cf. 3. 1. 25. 



ACT III] Explanatory Notes 193 

2. 5. 25 dish of eeles in a sand-bagge. A proverbial ex- 
pression ; it occurs in Middleton, Roaring Girl 4. 1, p. 97; 
'wriggle in and out, like an eel in a sand-bag.' 

ACT III 

3. 1. 3 young grammatical! courtier. I. e., one still studying 
the rudiments of courtship; another designation for the 
courtier elementarie of 2. 3. 49. 

3. 1. 25 a rush. See note on 2. 5. 20. 

3. 1. 34 you must frequent ordinaries. The ordinary, as 
the Elizabethan tavern or eating-house was called, must have 
been a good place to acquire 'self-confidence.' Dekker, in 
chap. 5 of the Guls Horn-booke, entitled ' How a yong Gallant 
should behave himself e in an Ordinary,' gives the following 
advice : ' Being arrived in the roome, salute not any but those 
of your acquaintance: walke up and downe by the rest as 
scornfully and as carelesly as a Gentleman-Usher. . . . Dis- 
course as lowd as you can, no matter to what purpose if you 
but make a noise. . . . When you are set downe to dinner, you 
must eate as impudently as can be (for thats most Gentleman- 
like) when your Knight is upon his stewed mutton, be present- 
ly, though you be but a capten, in the bosome of your goose. . . . 
You may abuse the workes of any man ; deprave his writings 
that you cannot equall, and purchase to your selfe in time the 
terrible name of a severe Criticke' {Pr. Wks. 2. 238—43). 

3. 1. 80 frame of a woolfe in the hangings. I. e., the outline 
of a wolf woven into the arras or tapestry curtains which hung 
on the walls of the apartment. 

3. 2. — For a detailed discussion of the satire in this and 
the following scene, see Introduction, pp. 1 ff. 

3. 2. 3 candle-waster. Cf. Much Ado 5. 1. 16-8: 

Bid sorrow wag, cry 'hem!' when he should groan, 
Patch grief with proverbs, make misfortune drunk 
With candle-wasters. 

Whalley, by reference to Jonson's usage, attempted to settle 
the dispute over the meaning of candle-waster in this passage 
from Shakespeare. He has failed to convince many scholars ; 

N 



194 Cynthias Revels [act hi 

cf. Much Ado (ed. Furness), p. 241. Revelers are, of course, 
just as truly candle-wasters as are bookworms. 

3. 2. 11 he smels all lamp-oyle. Scholarship and lamp-oil 
were early associated; cf. Plutarch, Demosthenes (Dryden's 
Trans. 5.8):' Pytheas once, scoffing at him, said that his argu- 
ments smelt of the lamp.' 

3. 2. 16 dormouse: he is in a dreame now. Cf. New Inn 1.1, 
p. 324: 

I was the laziest creature, . . . 
The veriest drone, and slept away my life 
Beyond the dormouse. 

3. 2. 29 gentlemen-vshers. Jonson often refers to these 
servants, and brings one upon the stage in the person of Am- 
bler, gentleman usher to Lady Tailbush in D.A . Nares {Gloss- 
ary) says they were originally state-officers, attendant upon 
queens and other persons of high rank, but later employed by 
persons of distinction, especially ladies. For further infor- 
mation, see Nares' Glossary, and Johnson's ed. of D.A., pp. 
195-6. 

3. 2. 38 outsides. Not uncommonly used for outer garments ; 
cf . Beaumont and Fletcher, Love's Cure 3. 2, p. 151 : 

Malr. My lord has sent me outsides. 
But thou shalt have 'em; the colours are too sad. 
Pio. Faith, mistress, I want clothes indeed. 

3. 2. 39 without a sute of bu£fe, to defend my wit. Ser- 
jeants, sheriffs' officers, and constables often wore a jerkin of 
tough buff-colored leather. Thus clothed, Anaides feels he 
can compel Crites to show a proper respect for his wit. 

3. 2. 40 he does nothing but stab the slaue. A comma is 
necessary after stab; it was restored in the ed. of 1640, but 
oddly enough sUpped out in that of 1692, and did not reappear 
until Whalley once more restored it, with the quaint remark, 
'No slave appears whom Crites had treated in this manner: 
we must reform the pointing to make out the sense.' 

3. 3. 18 Chrestvs, Evthvs, or Phronimvs. I. e., men 
characterized by honesty, frankness, and prudence. 

3. 3. 25 The one, a hght voluptuous reueller, etc. See Intro- 
duction, p. xlix. 



ACT III] Explanatory Notes 195 

3. 3. 43 Their enui's like an arrow, etc. Jonson may be 
indebted to Lyly's Endimion for this simile; in 5. 1, p. 68, we 
find : ' Envie with a pale and megar face . . . stood shooting at 
starres, whose darts fell downe againe on her owne face.' For 
Jonson's obligation to Endimion elsewhere in Cyn. Rev., see 
Introduction, p. Ix. 

3. 4. — This scene really consists of a collection of character- 
sketches ; they are in verse, but in other respects they do not 
differ essentially from those found in Act 2. See Intro- 
duction, pp. Ixvi ff. 

3. 4. 4 The strangest pageant, fashion'd like a court, etc. 
See Introduction, p. xxxvii. 

3. 4. 11 thiiftie roome. Flourishing and productive, perhaps, 
in the sense of possessing so many and such varied 'formes.' 

3. 4. 13 fore-top. Fops of the day took great pride in their 
foretops, long locks of hair, natural or attached to a wig, 
which were fantastically arranged on their foreheads; cf. 
Every Man Out 3. 1, p. 91 : 'You must first have an especial 
care so to wear your hat, that it oppress not confusedly this 
your predominant, or foretop; because, when you come at the 
presence-door, you may with once or twice stroking up your 
forehead, thus, enter with your predominant perfect; that is, 
standing up stiff.' See also 5. 4. 151. 

3. 4. 15 speake More darke, and doubtful!. Adjectives 
were freely used as adverbs; cf. Abbott, § 1. 

3. 4. 30 knowes the time Of gluing titles, and of taking 
wals. I. e., knows when to be obsequious, and when arrogant. 
To take the wall : To pass one on that part of the road nearest 
the wall (this, when there were no sidewalks, was to take the 
safest and best position, usually yielded to the superior in 
rank); hence, to get the better of in any way [CD.). 

3. 4. 32 court-common-places. Polished and elegant 
phrases suited to courtly discourse. It was a practice of the 
time to record expressions which took the fancy in common- 
place books; the latter were studied, and the phrases 
memorized and employed in conversation. Cf. Marston, 
Scourge of Villanie (3. 372), Sat. 11, where he speaks of 
one who 

N2 



196 Cynthias Revels [act hi 

Hath made a common-place booke out of playes, 
And speakes in print. 

In the Induction to the Malcontent (p. 200) the custom is 
mentioned : 

Tire-man. An 't please you to go in, sir, you may. 

Sly. I tell you, no: I am one that hath seen this play 
often, and can give them inteUigence for their action: I 
have most of the jests in my table-book. 

3. 4. 38 ambition. Pronounced in four syllables; see note 
on Prologue 1. 

3, 4. 42 Protevs. The fabled 'old man of the sea,' son of 
Oceanus and Tethys, who could assume any shape he desired. 
In the Masque of Beauty {Wks. 7. 25), Jonson calls him 'the 
gray prophet of the sea'; in Neptune's Triumph [Wks. 8. 27), 
'father of disguise.' 

3. 4. 52 That onely to his crimes owes all his worth. The 
quarto gives us the original Latin line from Juvenal, Sat. 1. 75. 

3. 4. 54—5 glazing of his face . . . perfuming of his haire. So 
often in Shakespeare; cf. Lear 2. 1. 41: 'Mumbling of wicked 
charms.' See Abbott, § 178. 

3. 4. 57 Like an vnperfect prologue, at third musike. 
Like a speaker of the prologue, who, not having his part 
perfectly, is muttering it over to himself when the signal (third 
music) summons him to the stage. 

3. 4. 62 As he would kisse away his hand in kindnesse. One 
is reminded of a line in Shakespeare's description of Boyet, 
L. L. L. 5. 2. 323-4: 

Why, this is he 
That kiss'd his hand away in courtesy. 

3. 4. 68 spend his patrimonie for a garter. Garters at this 
time were small silken sashes tied in a large bow or provided 
with a buckle. We read of diamond buckles, and garters 
worth more than five pounds. Gosson {Pleasant Quippes for 
Upstart Gentlewomen, p. 10) mentions 'silken garters fring'd 
with gold.' 



ACT III] Explanatory Notes 197 

3. 4. 84 enforce the common'st sense abhorre. For the omis- 
sion of to, see Abbott, § 349. 

3. 4. 85 Araehnean workers. Arachne, a Lydian weaver, 
having aroused Athene's displeasure by spinning into her web 
pictures of the amours of the gods, was turned into a spider 
(Ovid, Met. 6. 5-145). 

3. 5. — This whole scene, as well as a large part of the 
remainder of the play, is devoted to ridicule of the pseudo- 
courtship indulged in by the gallants of the time. According 
to Roger Ascham, it was introduced from Italy. His character- 
ization of it is extremely significant : ' Our Italians bring 
home with them other faultes from Italic, though not so great 
as this of Religion, yet a great deale greater, than many good 
men can well beare. For commonlie they cum home, common 
contemners of mariage and readie persuaders of all other to 
the same: not because they love virginitie, nor yet because 
they hate prettie yong virgines, but, being free in Italic, to 
go whitherso ever lust will cary them, they do not like, that 
lawe and honestie should be soch a barre to their like libertie 
at home in England. And yet they be, the greatest makers 
of love, the dayhe daliers, with such pleasant wordes, with 
such smilyng and secret countenances, with such signes, 
tokens, wagers, purposed to be lost, before they were purposed 
to be made, with bargaines of wearing colours, floures, and 
herbes, to breede occasion of offer meeting of him and her, 
and bolder taking of this and that &c. And although I have 
seene some, innocent of all ill, and stayde in all honestie, that 
have used these thinges without all harme, without all sus- 
picion of harme, yet these knackes were brought first into 
England by them, that learned them before in Italie in Circes 
Court: and how Courtlie curtesses so ever they be counted 
now, yet, if the meaning and maners of some that do use them, 
were somewhat amended, it were no great hurt, neither to 
them selves, nor to others' {Scholemaster, pp. 235—6). 

3. 5, 6 palace of your pleasure. A phrase suggested, perhaps, 
by William Painter's Palace of Pleasure (1566). 

3. 5. 19 stifle. I. e., stifle 'a sigh or two,' from 10 above. 

3. 5. 28 Lindabrides, etc. In 1578 Margaret Tiler translated 



igS Cynthias Revels [act III 

a Spanish romance, the adventures of the Knight of the Sun 
(belonging to the Amadis de Gaul cycle) into English, under 
the title, 'The Mirrour of Princely deedes and Knighthood.' 
The work has been attributed to Diego Ortunes, Pedro de la 
Sierra, and others (Dunlop, History of Fiction 1. 377). The 
EngHsh translation became at once extremely popular, as the 
numerous references in Elizabethan literature attest, and 
Lindabrides, the name of the heroine, was soon used allusively 
for 'lady-love,' 'mistress.' According to the tale, the Knight 
Meridian was loved by his sister, Lindabrides, as well as by the 
maiden Clarinda, to whom he was finally wedded. For a 
contemporary evidence of its vogue, cf. Overbury's character 
of a chambermaid {Wks., p. 101): 'She reads Greenes works 
over and over, but is so carried away with the Mirror of Knight- 
hood, she is many times resolv'd to runne out of her selfe, and 
become a lady errant.' 

3. 5. 39 rosie-finger'd hand. After the Homeric Qo6o6dx- 
Tvkoq; thus Spenser, Faerie Queene 1. 2. 7: 'The rosy fingred 
Morning faire.' 

3. 5. 64 let not the rigour of your lust disdaine, thus 
coursly censure of your seruants zeale. Gifford restores the 
itahcs of the quarto, though Jonson doubtless did away with 
them in the folio precisely because he knew that these lines did 
not represent a direct quotation ; for one phrase, however, he 
is indebted to Kyd, Spanish Tragedy 1. 4. 71—2 (p. 17): 

He shall, in rigour bf my iusf disdaine, 

Reape long repentance for his murderous deed. 

3. 5. 92 Your pedant should prouide you some pareells of 
french, or . . . Italian. Amorphus never loses the opportunity^ 
to air his own knowledge of languages; cf. 1. 4. 81, 143; 5. 4. 
250. Many passages of this play are re-echoed in Dekker's 
Guls Horn-booke; cf. Pr. Wks. 2. 239: 'That will be an excellent 
occasion to publish your languages, if you have them : if not, 
get some fragments of French, or smal parcels of Italian, to 
fling about the table : but beware how you speake any Latine 
there: your Ordinary most commonly hath no more to do 
with Latine then a desperate town of Garison hath.' 



ACT nil] Explanatory Notes 199 

3. 5. 105 ambiguous. The use of ambiguous probably repre- 
sents a blunder on the part of Asotus in his effort at courtly 
discourse. 

3. 5. 117—8 And will, in time, returne, etc. An adaptation 
of Kyd, Spanish Tragedy 2. 1. 7—8 (p. 21). 

And she in time will fall from her disdaine, 
And rue the sufferance of your freendly paine. 

These lines form a substitute for the less suitable ' // ever you 
have seene great TAMBURLAINE,' of the quarto. In Ex- 
plorata, Wks. 9. 159, Jonson comments on the bombastic 
language which he here ridicules, and thus describes that 
which the 'true artificer' should use: 'Though his language 
differ from the vulgar somewhat, it shall not fly from all 
humanity, with the Tamer-lanes, and Tamer-chams of the 
late age, which had nothing in them but the scenical strutting, 
and furious vociferation, to warrant them to the ignorant 
gapers.' Despite this sharp criticism of Marlowe's style, it 
is Jonson whom we must thank for the famous expression, 
'Marlow's mighty hne' [Master William Shak., Wks. 8. 318). 

3. 5. 141 courting-stock. Like laughing-stock; in 5. 4. 
619, Mercury addresses the ladies who have been the objects 
of a series of ' courting-bouts ' as 'my Madame Courting- 
stocks' ; the expression occurs again in the New Inn 1. 1, p. 326. 

ACT IIII 

4. 1. 17 good for vs ladies. 'Argurion alludes to the old 
proverb: "Far fet (fetched) is good for ladies."'— G. Cf. 
Beaumont and Fletcher, Wit at Several Weapons 2. 2, p. 31 : 
'And far-fetched; therefore good for you, lady.' 

4. 1 . 33 some Lavra, or some Delia. Laura was celebrated by 
Petrarch in nearly three hundred sonnets. Samuel Daniel's 
sonnet-series to Deha appeared in 1592. Jonson seems to 
have esteemed neither poet greatly. Cf. Conversations (Wks. 
9. 370) : ' He cursed Petrarch for redacting verses to Sonnets ; 
which he said were like that Tirrant's bed, wher some who 
were too short were racked, others too long cut short ' ; and 
ibid., p. 366: 'Samuel Daniel was a good honest man, . . . 



200 Cynthias Revels [act iiii 

but no poet.' For other references to Daniel, see Every Man 
In 5. 1, p. 146; Epiccene 2. 1, p. 359; and 5. of News 3. 1, 
p. 236. 

4. 1. 50 a Venetian tminpetter, i' the battaile of Lepanto. 
On Oct. 7, 1571, the Itahan and Spanish fleets defeated the 
Turks west of Lepanto. ' The quarto reads Dutch trumpeter, 
which was well corrected in the folio.'— G. 

4. 1. 63 poste-boies home. Remarkable, no doubt, for 
its loud and strident tone. When Truewit came to plague 
Morose, he armed himself with a post-horn and a halter 
{Epiccene 2. 1, p. 354). 

4. 1. 67 Andromeda. Cassiopea, Andromeda's mother, 
having boasted that her daughter's beauty surpassed that of 
the Nereids, Poseidon sent a sea-monster to ravage the 
country. Andromeda was chained to a rock on the coast to 
appease the monster, but was rescued by Perseus (Ovid, Met. 
4. 662-751). 

4. 1. 72 A long heele. In the Plain Dealer 2. 1, p. 406 
[Mermaid), we find Lord Plausible declaring that Lady 
Frances possessed 'the handsomest heel.' In Jonson's time, 
and later, a shapely heel was apparently considered a physical 
attraction. 

4. 1. 74 hee puts off the ealues of his legs. Dekker [Guls 
Horn-booke, Pr. Wks. 2. 230) speaks of a gallant ' that would 
strive to fashion his leggs to his silke stockins.' 

4. 1. 109 0, but his short haire. In the reign of Henry VIII, 
short hair had been fashionable, as a result of an order from 
the King that all his attendants and courtiers should poll 
their heads (Planche, Cyclo. of Dress 1. 243), but at this 
time long hair was acquiring great popularity among the 
nobility. 

4. 1. 114 a most neate barber-surgeon. The barbers and 
surgeons had a joint company at this time, and the same 
individual often followed both professions. 

4. 1. 126 Goe to, Beauties, make much of . . . place, and 
occasion. In 5. 6. 63, place, and occasion are characterized 
as 'priuie theeues,' which 'from poore innocent ladies often 
steale ... an honourable name.' 



ACT nil] Explanatory Notes 201 

4. 1. 129 I know it out of future experience. Cf. note on 
4. 4. 16. 

4. 1. 142—60 'The good old lady had been looking into Ju- 
venal.'— G. Moria's speech isanexpansionof Juvenal6.402— 6: 

Haec eadem novit, quid toto fiat in orbe; 

Quid Seres, quid Thraces agant; secreta novercse 

Et pueri; quis amet, quis diripiatur adulter. 

Dicet, quis viduam praegnantem fecerit, et quo 

Mense; quibus verbis concumbat quaeque, modis quot. 

The same idea was employed again in Epiccene 2. 1, p. 359: 
' [She] never weighs what her pride costs, sir ; so she may ... 
be a stateswoman, know all the news, what was done at Salis- 
bury, what at the Bath, what at court, what in progress.' 

4. 1. 149 who put off their teeth, etc. Mrs. Otter was such 
a person, if we may believe her husband {Epiccene 4. 1, p. 417) : 
' All her teeth were made in the Black-friars, both her eye- 
brows in the Strand, and her hair in Silver-street. Every 
part of the town ownes a piece of her. . . . She takes herself 
asunder still when she goes to bed, into some twenty boxes; 
and about next day noon is put together again, like a great 
German clock.' Cf. also Overbury's character of a chamber- 
maid : ' She is her mistresses she secretary, and keepes the 
box of her teeth, her hair, and her painting very private' 
{Wks., p. 101). 

4. 1. 171 if I saw a better face then mine owne, I might 
haue my doctor to poyson it. A practice described in the 
romances of the time; cf. Sidney, Arcadia, p. 28 (London, 
1867): 'The wicked Demagoras . . . rubbed all over her face a 
most horrible poison, the effect whereof was such that never 
leper looked more ugly than she did.' 

4. 1. 186 come vp to terme, to see motions. Previous to 
1873 the superior courts of England held four annual sessions 
of about three weeks each, known as Hilary, Easter, Trinity, 
and Michaelmas, at which times country folk of means flocked 
to London for business and amusement. Cunningham quotes 
a sentence from the ' Character of Sogliardo' in Every ManOuf, 
p. 7 : ' He comes up every term to learn to take tobacco, and 
see new motions.' 



202 Cynthias Revels [act iiii 

4. 1. 189 taste my ladies delights to her. I. e., perhaps, to 
chat and gossip with her mistress over the latter's amours or 
escapades, a function which the maid in later comedy so often 
performed. 

4. 1. 197 saue my selfe in 'hem still. I. e., encourage 
them enough to keep them still hoping and courting. 

4. 1. 204 I would see how Loue . . . could worke, etc. 
Baskervill {Eng. Elements in Jonsons Early Comedy, p. 243) 
calls attention to the similarity between Phantaste's remarks 
on love and those of Agripyne in Old Fortunatus, p. 131 : ' We 
had all rather die then confesse wee love ; our glorie is to heare 
men sigh whilst we smile, to kil them with a frowne, to strike 
them dead with a sharpe eye, to make you this day weare a 
Feather, and to morrow a sicke nightcap: Oh, why this is 
rare, there's a certaine deitie in this, when a Lady by the 
Magicke of her lookes, can turne a man into twentie shapes.' 

4. 1. 211 a third, with play-ends. It had become an 
affectation, due in part to the immense popularity of the 
drama, to introduce brief quotations from well-known plays 
into one's conversation; thus Asotus, in 3. 5. 117—8, uses a 
play-end from the Spanish Tragedy. Marston ridicules this 
practice in What You Will 2. 1. 126 (p. 349): 

A horse! a horse! My kingdom for a horse! 
Look thee, I speak play-scraps. 

For commonplace and table-books into which the play-ends 
were copied, preparatory to being memorized, see note on 
3. 4. 32. 

4. 1. 212 stabbing himself e, and drinking healths. ' To 
show their devout attachment to their mistresses, young men 
frequently punctured their arms with daggers, and mingling 
the blood with wine, drank it off to their healths. The drink- 
ing of a liquor mixed with blood was in very ancient times 
esteemed a rite of high solemnity, as may be seen in Sallust 
and Livy: of such ceremonials this seems to have been an 
i mitation . ' — N ares . 

I question whether Nares is right in tracing the practice 
back to Roman times. I find no reference in Livy to the 



ACT iiii] Explanatory Notes 203 

drinking of human blood mixed with wine, and in Sallust but 
one — where CatiHne used this method to impress his fellow 
conspirators with the solemnity of their league: 'Dicerent, 
Catilinam . . . humani corporis sanguinem, vino permixtum, 
in pateris circumtulisse' {Bellum Catilinarium 22). Sallust 
refers to it as an infamous action. 

In the Palinode of our play, Amorphus prays Mercury to 
save him 'from stabbing of arms.' Cf. also Dekker, Honest 
Whore, Part I, p. 38: 

How many Gallants have drunke healths to me, 
Out of their dagger'd armes ! ; 

Marston, Dutch Courtezan, 4. 1, pp. 69—70: 'I have . , . stabb'd 
arms, and done all the offices of protested gallantry for your 
sake.' 

4. 2. 33 Who answeres the brazen head? A reference to 
Greene's Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay (1594), or to the 
prose tract on which the former was founded, The Famous 
Historie of Fryer Bacon, which relates ' How Fryer Bacon made 
a Brasen Head to speake, by the which hee would have 
walled England about with brasse.' 

4. 2. 35 doe you interpret for these puppets ? The usual name 
for the showman who manipulated the puppets, and furnished 
the dialogue for them, was Interpreter ; see note on 1. 3. 8. 

4. 2. 40 carroehes. Whalley notes that the quarto reads coaches, 
and adds, 'but that is only a smoother way of pronouncing 
the genuine word.' Relying, apparently, on this, Gifford 
prints coaches. But there is abundant evidence that the names 
were not synonymous; the distinction shown in the following 
quotation might well have induced Jonson to change to 
carroche: Green's Tu Quoque (Dodsley's 0. PI. 11. 202): 

Nay for a need, out of his easy nature, 
May'st draw him to the keeping of a coach 
For country, and caroch for London. 

4. 2. 43 conniue. 'Dekker ridicules Jonson for the use of 
this word in his Satiromastix. ... As the poet is evidently 
imitating the affected jargon of the ladies of the court, it may 



204 Cynthias Revels [act iiii 

be questioned whether his language be a legitimate object of 
satire.' — G. The passage occurs on p. 212: 'Asinus. I was but 
at Barbers last day, and when he was rencing my face, did 
but crie out, fellow thou makst me Conniue too long, & sayes 
he sayes hee, Master Asinus Bubo, you have eene Horaces 
wordes as right as if he had spit them into your mouth.' This 
passage from Satiromastix seems to indicate that Dekker, 
like Whalley and Gifford, failed to realize that Jonson intended 
Moria to misuse words. Close, suspend, and extraoy dinar ie, 
which also occur in this speech, were certainly put into her 
mouth by Jonson with humorous intent. For other similar 
errors on her part, see 4. 1. 129 and 4. 4. 16. 

4. 3. 1 That was your fathers loue, the Nymph Argvrion. 
A mere play on names; in 1. 4. 30, his father is called Phil- 
ar gyrus. 

4. 3. 19 hee cannot speake out of a dictionarie method. 
Cf. Sidney, Astrophel and Stella XV: 

You that do dictionary's method bring 

Into your rhymes, running in rattling rows; . . . 

You take wrong ways. 

Jonson's meaning is somewhat different from Sidney's, for 
the latter evidently has alliteration in mind. At this time 
there were, strictly speaking, no English dictionaries, i. e., 
such as gave both words and definitions in English, the first 
being Bullokar's English Expositor, 1616. Elyot's Latin- 
English Lexicon had, however, appeared in 1545, and was 
followed before 1600 by two others, together with several 
dictionaries of English and modern languages, such as Florio's 
Worlde of Words, 1598. 

4. 3. 30 this purse (which I would be loth to sweare by, 
vnlesse 'twere embroider'd). At this time purses were small 
bags of leather or cloth, drawn together at the mouth with 
thongs or strings. 'A purse of crimson satin embroidered 
with gold is mentioned in the inventory of the contents of 
the palace at Greenwich, temp. Henry VI I L (Harleian MS. 
No. 1412.)'— Planche, Cyclo. of Cost. 1. 409. 

4. 3. 74 some idle Fvngoso. Asotus is really a repetition 



ACT nil] Explanatory Notes 205 

of the character of Fungoso from Every Man Out (p. 7), one 
who ' follows the fashion afar off, like a spy,' and with all his 
efforts, never succeeds in attaining 'the courtiers' cut.' 
Gifford says servants of the highest rank customarily waited 
near or above the sideboard (cupboard). 

4. 3. 81 riddles, or purposes. Baskervill {Eng. Elements in 
Jonson's Early Comedy, pp. 275—6) cites several passages 
where these games are mentioned; cf. Gascoigne, Poems 1. 47: 
'This royall banquet thus passed over, the Aucthor knowing 
that after supper they should passe the tyme in propounding 
of Ryddles, and making of purposes, contrived all this con- 
ceipt in a Riddle as foUoweth.' 

4. 3. 85 Prophecies. A sample of this game is given in 2. 2. 
56 ff. 

4. 3. 91 But doe not you change, then? The punctuation 
should be, not an interrogation-point, but a period. Each 
must think of an adjective before the game commenced, and 
not change in the progress of answering. 

4. 3. 119 brokers stalls. Pawnbrokers' stalls. The gallants 
were often reduced to the necessity of bartering their fine 
garments for cash. Rowlands {The Letting of Humours Blood 
in the Head-Vaine, Epig. 5) gives an amusing account of a 
gallant in this predicament: 

Alas, Delfridus keepes his bed, God knowes. 
Which is a signe his worships very ill: . . . 
Yet doth he eate, drinke, talke, & sleepe profound. 
Seeming to all mens Judgements healthfull sound. 
Then gesse the cause he thus to bed is drawne. 
What ? thinke you so ; may such a happe procure it ? 
Well; fayth t'is true, his Hose are out at pawne, 
A Breetchlesse chaunce is come, he must indure it: 
His Hose to Brokers layle committed are. 
His singuler, and onely. Velvet payre. 

4. 3. 135 you giue them to your Barber. Cf. Nashe, Lefiten 
Stuff e, Wks. 3. 148: 'Hee sendes for his Barber to depure, 
decurtate, and spunge him, whome having not paide a twel- 
month before, he now raines downe eight quarter angels into 
his hande, to make his liberalitie seeme greater, and gives him 



2o6 Cynthias Revels [act iiii 

a cast riding ierkin and an olde Spanish hatte into the bargaine, 
and Gods peace bee with him.' 

4. 3. 146 Pythagoricall, by reason of their transmigration. 
Pythagoras, a Greek philosopher born in Samos 582 B. C, 
held the doctrine of the transmigration of souls; though this 
notion has no important connection with his system of philos- 
ophy, it is that with which his name became chiefly associated. 
One might suppose that such a joke would be lost on an 
Elizabethan audience, but the word was fairly common in 
this sense; cf. Middleton, Trick to Catch the Old One 4. 5, 
p. 337 : ' Pythagorical rascal ! ... he changes his cloak when he 
meets a sergeant.' 

4. 3. 155 Not so, ladies, neither. Abbott supposes the not 
uncommon double negative to be a result of the desire for 
emphasis (§ 406). 

4. 3. 204 these vnhappie pages would be whipt. Require to 
be whipped. See Abbott, § 323, and cf. Macbeth 1.7. 32-4: 

I have bought 
Golden opinions from all sorts of people, 
Which would be worn now in their newest gloss. 

4. 3. 224 As sure as fate, 't is so, etc. Anaides is referring 
to his suspicion expressed in 208—10 above. 

4. 3. 228 his Hermaphrodite. Gelaia, who, though a girl, 
masquerades as a page. 

4. 3. 268 the Emperour. By seventeenth-century writers, 
the Emperor of Germany was called simply 'the Emperor.' 
During the sixteenth century the Holy Roman Empire reaUy 
did include a vast territory; the courts of such monarchs as 
Maximihan I and CharlesV doubtless at times numbered many 
princely visitors, though Jonson's enumeration of kings and 
nobles here is of course for humorous effect. 

4. 3. 289 feature. The quarto reading is creature; feature 
was probably preferred in the folio as being more foppish and 
artificial; see Glossary. 

4. 3. 299 golden legacie. Jonson may have had the title of 
Lodge's Rosalynde: Euphues' Golden Legacie (1590) in mind. 



ACT nil] Explanatory Notes 207 

4. 3. 305 I composde this ode, and set it to my most affected 
instrument, the l3^a. Music formed a chief means of recreation 
for courtiers of the day, both men and women; cf. Ascham, 
Scholemaster, p. 217: 'The pastimes that be fitte for Courtlie 
lentlemen. To daunce cumUe: to sing, and playe of instru- 
mentes cunnyngly.' Harrison {Eliz. Eng., p. 219) thus 
describes the pastimes of the court-ladies : ' The youngest sort 
in the meantime apply their lutes, citherns, pricksong, and all 
kind of music, which they use only for recreation's sake when 
they have leisure, and are free from attendance upon the 
queen's majesty.' 

4. 3. 322 I care not to admit that. The meaning apparently 
is, I care not if I admit, i. e., allow, your request to be granted; 
the quarto has do for admit. 

4. 3. 360 you with the pencill on your chinne. Beards 
trimmed into a sharp point were often worn. ' WiU you have 
your beard like a spade, or a bodkin ? ' asks Motto, the barber, 
in Mydas (3. 2, p. 29). In Beaumont and Fletcher, Queen of 
Corinth 2. 4, p. 430, it is said that travelers make sharp beards 
their deities. Taylor, the Water Poet, devotes not less than 
twenty-six lines in his SuperhicB Flagellum (p. 34) to a de- 
scription of the fashions in beards. He mentions beards of 
every conceivable shape, including some cut in 

. . . sharpe Stelletto fashion, dagger Uke, 

That may with whispering a mans eyes out pike. 

4. 3. 362 fireworkes. Though known at an earlier date, 
they were not extensively used till the time of Elizabeth. 
Elaborate pyrotechnic exhibitions were prepared at various 
times for the amusement of nobles or of the monarch. Strutt 
[Sports and Pastimes, p. 374) prints a contemporary de- 
scription of such an exhibition given at Ann BuUen's coro- 
nation. In a galley on the Thames 'was a great red dragon, 
continually moving and casting forth wild- fire; and round 
about . . . stood terrible, monstrous, and wild men, casting of 
fire and making a hideous noise.' Rockets and the like were 
also used. 



2o8 Cynthias Revels [act hi I 

4. 3. 406 No, in faith, but there's my gloue for a fauour, etc. 
Cf. Samuel Rowlands, Doctor Merrie-man (1609), sig. C3v: 

To give my Glove unto a Gull, 

Is mighty favour found: 

When for the wearing of the same, 

It costs him twenty pound. 

My Garter as a gracious thing, 

Another takes away: 

And for the same a silken Gowne, 

The Prodigall doth pay. 

4. 3. 415 shooe-ties, and deuices. By devices are probably 
meant various ornamental trifles of masculine dress, such as 
garters and brooches. Elizabethan shoe-ties were in harmony 
with the generally gay attire; Dekker {Match me in London, 
p. 157) mentions 'rich spangled Morisco shoo-strings.' Cf. 
also Every Man Out, Induct., p. 17: 'A yard of shoe-tye.' 

4. 3. 421 you shall bee no more Asotvs to vs, but our gold- 
finch. A punning remark, called forth by Asotus' effort to 
buy the courtiers' friendship. Small {Stage-Quarrel, p. 51) 
cites several other instances of this play on words ; cf . Middle- 
ton, Blurt, Master Constable 4. 1. 9— 11 (p. 69), where Curvetto 
thus speaks of his purse: 

Or if this gold-finch, that with sweet notes flies, 
And wakes the dull eye even of a puritan. 
Can work, then, wenches, Curvetto is the man. 

4. 3. 440 this must needes bring Argvrion to a consump- 
tion. A play on words: money is consumed, Argurion (the 
nymph) is attacked by a wasting disease. 

4. 4. 16 epitaphs. The quarto has 'Epithites,' which, of 
course, Moria means. In 2. 4. 15—7, Jonson describes her as 
' like one of your ignorant Poetasters of the time, who when they 
have got acquainted with a strange word, never rest till the)^ 
have wroong it in ' ; this she does, particularly in her speeches 
in 4. 1. 126—33 and 4. 2. 37—48, though her misuse is not 
consistent enough to prevent Whalley and Gifford from 
offering an emendation for at least one of her malapropisms 
(cf. Wks. 2. 282, note). As Cunningham points out, a similar 
use of epitaph for epithet is put into the mouth of the cobbler, 



ACT nil] Explanatory Notes 209 

Juniper, in theC. is Altered. Cunningham believes Sheridan 
is indebted to Jonson for Mrs. Malaprop's 'nice derangement 
of epitaphs' {Rivals 3. 3, p. 41, Camelot Series). 

4. 5. 22 shee is the extraction of a dozen of Puritans. Not 
a very serious reflection on the Puritans when we consider 
that it is Arete who is thus stigmatized; in Bar. Fair, in the 
Alchem., and in the Sad Shep., they receive as rough treatment 
as the courtiers do here. 

4. 5. 24 I cannot away with her. ' I cannot endure her.'— 
G. So in Poetaster 3. 1, p. 434: 'Do not bring your eating 
player with you there; I cannot away with him.' 

4. 5. 38 infanted, with pleasant trauaile . With this 

phrase Jonson is poking fun at the poetaster John Southern ; 
it is part of a line of verse from his Musyque of the Beautie of 
his Mistress Diana. The whole line runs : ' And of an inge- 
nious invention, infanted' etc. This identical line is quoted by 
Puttenham in his Arte of English Poesie (Arber, pp. 259—60), 
in order to illustrate Southern's ridiculous use of gallicized 
words. 

Southern was born in England. ' He seems to have been 
educated in France, whence he returned to his native country 
to follow the profession of a musician. . . . Southern's lack of 
literary power, his impudent thefts from Ronsard, and his 
gallicised vocabulary exposed him to much ridicule' (DNB.). 
His volume of verse mentioned above was published in 1584; 
only two copies are known, and it has never been re- 
printed. 

4. 5. 96 hold his publique Act, by open challenge, etc. 
Jonson makes this contest of courtship do double duty, in 
ridiculing the elaborate rules of fencing and dueling, and the 
extravagance of courtly etiquette not less elaborate. The 
terms bare Accost, bitter Regard, etc., remind one at once of 
Touchstone's Retort Courteous, Quip Modest, and Reply Chur- 
lish, which were used when quarreling 'in print, by the book' 
{AsYou Likelt 5. 4. 71 ff.). Jonson may have in mind Vincen- 
tio Saviolo's Practise in two books, the first intreating of the 
use of the Rapier and Dagger, the second of Honor and Honorable 
quarrels, London, 1595, the only original English treatise on 





210 Cynthias Revels [act iiii 

the art of fence in the 16th century. To the ItaHan, French, 
and Spanish masters of the profession, the EngUshmen seemed 
at this time perfect barbarians in the use of their rapier, and 
Saviolo frankly came over to instruct them. He soon became 
popular with the nobility, but the sturdy EngUshman of the 
middle class looked on him with suspicion or held him in 
contempt. It is the man created by Saviolo's style of in- 
struction that Shakespeare ridicules inRom. and Jul. 2. 4. 20—7 : 
'O, he is the courageous captain of complements. He fights 
as you sing prick song, keeps time, distance, and proportion ; 
rests me his minim rest, one, two, and the third in your bosom : 
the very butcher of a silk button, a duellist, a duellist; a 
gentleman of the very first house, of the first and second 
cause : ah, the immortal passado ! the punto reverso ! the hai ! ' 
This was not the art to which Jonson had recourse when, in 
the face of two armies, 'he had killed an enemy and taken 
opima spolia from him,' or, ' being appealed to the fields, . . . had 
killed his adversarie [Gabriel Spenser], which had hurt him 
in the arme, and whose sword was 10 inches longer than his.' 
{Conversations, Wks. 9. 388). Indeed, he must have had a 
warm sympathy for George Silver's Paradoxe of Defence 
(1599), a bitter attack on the popular Itahan and his methods; 
this wide-spread opposition is shown by the following 
selection from Silver's works (quoted by Castle, Schools and 
Masters of Fence, p. 89) : ' We, hke degenerate sonnes, have 
forsaken our forefathers vertues with their weapons, and have 
lusted like men sicke of a strange ague after the strange vices 
of Italian, French and Spanish fencers, little remembering 
that their apish toyes could not free Rome from Brennus' 
sack, nor France from Henrie the fifth his conquest.' For 
definite expressions of Jonson's feehng, see the A Ichetn. (4. 1. 
p. 124), where he makes Subtile profess his abiUty to teach 
'both the grammar, and logic, and rhetoric of quarrehng,' 
and Every Man In (4. 5, p. 115), where Bobadill reels off a 
Ust of dueUng terms, all of which significantly bear Itahan 
names: punto reverso, stoccata, etc., and especially An Epigram 
To William, Earle of Newcastle, on his fencing, Wks., 9. 15—6, 
a poem of unusual passion: 



ACT v] Explanatory Notes 211 

They talk of Fencing, and the use of arms, 

The art of urging and avoiding harms, 

The noble science, and the mastering skill 

Of making just approaches how to kill; 

To hit in angles, and to clash with time: 

As all defence or offence were a chime! 

I hate such measured, give me mettled, fire. 

That trembles in the blaze, but then mounts higher! 

A quick and dazzUng motion; when a pair 

Of bodies meet hke rarified air! 

Their weapons darted with that flame and force, 

As they out-did the lightning in the course; 

This were a spectacle, a sight to draw 

Wonder to valour! 

4. 5. 125 by this feather. As he speaks these words, he 
probably points to a feather in his hat, a new feature in the 
dress of a gallant. This article of dress is humorously described 
in Father Hubburd's Tales (Dyce's Middleton 5. 566): 'His 
head was dressed up in white feathers like a shuttlecock, 
which agreed so well with his brain, being nothing but cork, 
that two of the biggest of the guard might very easily have 
tossed him with battledores, and made good sport with him 
in his majesty's great hall.' 

4. 5. 137 vp in pantofles. Pantojle was applied especially 
to the high-heeled chopins (described in the note on 2. 2. 59). 

4. 5. 140 I will haue a canzonet made, with nothing in it, 
but sirrah. Cf. 2. 1. 22 and 2. 3. 76-7. 

4. 5. 146 without you had preuented the Fountayne. L e., 
unless you had forestalled the draughts from the Fountain of 
Self -Love. 

ACT V 

5, 1. 12 No man is, presently, made bad, with ill. 'Nemo 
repente venit turpissimus.'^ — G. Juvenal, Sat. 2. 83. 

5. 1. 31 true nobiUtie, eall'd vertue. 'Nobilitas sola est atque 
unica virtus.' — G. Juvenal, Sat. 8. 20. 
5. 1. 38-9 Whom equall love hath lou'd, andPhoebvs form'd 
Oi better mettall, and in better mould. 
Gifford shows Jonson's indebtedness to Virgil and Juvenal, 
respectively, for these lines, 

02 



212 Cynthias Revels [act v 

Pauci, quos aequus amavit 
Jupiter. 

Mn. 6. 129-30. 
Quibus arte benigna 
Et meliore luto finxit prsecordia Titan. 

Sat. 14. 34-5. 

5. 2. 4 Feare me not, I warrant you, sir. 'It should be 
observed that this strange petulance and forwardness in the 
once sheepish and timid Asotus, is the effect of the waters of 
the fountain of Self-Love.' — W. 

5. 2. 20 now it is the part o! euery obsequious seruant, to 
be suie to haue daily about him copie, and varietie of colours. 
'The gallants of the court (and perhaps of the city) carried 
about with them different colored ribands, that they might be 
prepared to place in their hats, or on their arms, the color in 
which their respective mistresses dressed for the day.' — G. 
Very little is known of the custom except what can be gleaned 
from chance allusions. Gifford quotes Marmion, Antiquary 

2. 1 (Dodsley's 0. PI. 13. 441), where Aurelio bitterly re- 
proaches his mistress for scorning him after he has executed 
all her ' follies,' and even been so simple as to wear her ' fooHsh 
colors.' Shakespeare mentions the practice once, L. L. L. 

3. 1. 190. Sidney {Astrophel and Stella LIV) classes the 
practice among those foolish outward signs of devotion which 
court-ladies considered indispensable: 

Because I breathe not love to ev'ry one, 
Nor do not use set colours for to wear; 
Nor nourish special locks of vowed hair; 

Nor give each speech a fuU point of a groan; 

The courtly nymphs, acquainted with the moan 
Of them, who, in their lips. Love's standard bear; 
What he? say they of me, now dare I swear, 

He cannot love: no, no; let him alone. " 

5. 3. 6 Cit. By your leaue, etc. The citizen and his wife, who 
here make their only appearance, are evidently counterparts 
of Deliro and Fallace in Every Man Out. This scene does not 
appear in the quarto ; it is extremely odd that Jonson should 
have cared to summon these two characters back to Hfe, 



ACT v] Explanatory Notes 213 

especially considering the insignificant part they play. Their 
names do not even appear among the dramatis personce. 

5. 3. 77 wee would thinke foule scome. I. e., we would 
despise them utterly; a common expression in the 16th 
century; foule merely intensifies scorn. — NED. 

5. 3. 90—111 'This bill is a parody on one of the Hcenses 
formerly granted by masters of defence to their pupils, when 
they were supposed to be properly qualified for taking either 
of their three degrees in the fencing-school, viz., a master's, 
a provost's, or a scholar's: indeed, the whole of this scene is a 
burlesque imitation of those public trials of skill in the " noble 
science of defence.'" — G. 

5. 3. 91 from the white sattm reueller, etc. The phrase in 
parenthesis becomes more intelligible if we read it as though it 
followed courtship directl5^ instead of presents. The meaning 
then becomes : Be it known to all courtiers and revelers, from 
those who dress in white satin to such as wear cloth of tissue 
and a poniard, etc. 

5. 3. 92 Vlysses-Polytropvs-Amorphvs. Alluding to Amor- 
phus' travels ; polytropus {jcokvTQOjrog) is the epithet of 
Ulysses in the Odyssey : much traveled, much-wandering ; 
see Od. 1. 1. 10, 330. 

5. 3. 94 Acolastvs-Polypragmon-Asotvs. In other words, 
Asotus, the meddlesome prodigal. 'Axolagrog is properly 
licentious, butCockeram (1612) deiines A colasticke as a prodigall 
person {NED.), which is evidently the meaning here. IloXv- 
jiQccyficov: officious, a busybody. 

5. 3. 106 bare Accost, etc. Suggestive of ' the personified 
graces of manner' found frequently in court-of-love poetry, as 
Bel Acueil,Dous Regard, Dous Parler, etc.; cf. BaskerviU, Eng. 
Elements in Jonson's Early Comedy, p. 231. 

two Wall-eyes, in a face forced. Apparently the bare 
Accost deserved no more than a stare from the lady. 
Shakespeare has wall-eyed twice, in this sense; cf. K. John 
4. 3. 48-50: 

the vilest stroke, 
That ever wall-eyed wrath or staring rage 
Presented to the tears of soft remorse. 



214 Cynthias Revels [act y 

5. 3. 108 aFaiine wauing. A definite mark of favor, according 
to the standard of Elizabethan gallants; in Marmion, Anti- 
quary 2. 1 (Dodsley's 0. PI. 13. 442), Lucretia thus addresses 
her lover: 

And then, because I am familiar. 
And deign out of my nobleness and bounty 
To grace your weak endeavours with the title 
Of courtesy, to wave my fan at you, 
Or let you kiss my hand, must we straight marry? 

5. 3. 110 Banquet. It consisted of kisses; see 5. 4. 543 ff., 
and note on 5. 4. 538. 

5. 3. 118 Victus, victa, etc. Asotus' blustering way of 
declaring that everyone and everything have been conquered. 

5. 3. 121 Take your state, vp, to the wall: And, ladie, may we 
implore you to stand forth. Gifford inserts, after ladie, the 
following stage direction: leading Moria to the state. He 
evidently assumes that the lady who was being courted 
occupied a chair of state. It is likely, however, that she stood 
during the contest, to judge from our passage above, as well 
as one in 5. 4. 281 : ' Please the well-grac'd Philautia to 
reUeve the lady sentinell; shee hath stood long.' In 5. 4. 104, 
Amorphus asks Moria if he may re-instate her, which at first 
sight might seem to mean reseat her, but which, no doubt, 
implies no more than lead hack to her position. State in the 
passage under consideration may mean merely position; it is 
not unlikely, however, that the contestants occupied special 
seats till the match began. See 5. 4. 64, where Amorphus asks 
Mercury to 'use the state, ordain'd for the opponent.' 

5. 3. 123 as first terme, or bound to our courtship. Jonson 
means by term here, evidently, an object to be courted, a 
figure-head, as it were ; this meaning is derived from the old 
sense, a figure of Terminus, the god of boundaries. Jonson 
uses the word again in Chloridia {Wks. 8. 101), with the sense 
of figure, statue. 

5. 3. 136 ' tis too dutch. He reeles too much. The rivalry 
between the English and Dutch during the 17th century gave 
rise in England to the use of Dutch with various opprobrious 
senses, especially as here, with the implication of unsteadiness 



ACT v] Explanatory Notes 215 

from excessive drinking. Cf. Nashe, Pierce Penilesse, Wks. 
1. 207: 'As their Countrey is overflowen with water, so are 
their heads ahvaies over-flowen with wine, and in their 
bellies they have standing quag-mires and bogs of English 
beere.' 

5. 4. 15 so he may haue faire play. ' So is used with the 
future and the subjunctive to denote "provided that.'" — 
Abbott, § 133. Another instance, 1. 5. 48. 

5. 4. 20 complementaries. ' Complementaries were masters 
of defence, such as Caranza, etc., who pubUshed elaborate 
works on the compliments and ceremonies of duelling.' — G. 
NED. (referring to this passage) wrongly defines the word 
'a master of accomplishments.' 

5. 4. 34 euen standing, carries meat in the mouth. I. e., 
furnishes entertainment, without any effort on his part; in 
other words, it is amusing just to look at him. The phrase 
usually means: to bring in money, to furnish profit; thus in 
Greene, Disput. Conny-catchers 10. 269: 'The oldest lecher 
was as welcom as the youngest lover, as he broght meate in 
his mouth.' NED. says the expression was perhaps originally 
used in regard to a hawk. 

5. 4. 40 by this eUxi'r, or meere magazine of man. L e., the 
court, which either transforms men into courtiers, or serves 
as a storehouse for those already such. 

5. 4. 44 This holds vp the arras. The usual duty of a courtier ; 
cf. Marston, What You Will 4. 1. 37-40 (p. 389) : ' He is a fine 
courtier, flatters admirable, kisses "fair madam," smells 
surpassing sweet ; wears and holds up the arras, supports the 
tapestry, when I pass into the presence, very gracefully.' 

5. 4. 52 their beauties maintaine their painters, etc. Ladies' 
painting was a favorite object of satire. Stubbes {Anatomy 
of Abuses, p. 64) expresses himself characteristically: 'Think- 
est thou that thou canst make thy self fairer then God, who 
made us all? These must needes be their intentions, or els 
they would never go about to coulour their faces with such 
sibber-sawces. And these being their intentions, what can 
derogate more from the maiestie of God in his creation ? For 
in this dooing, they plainly convince the Lord of untrueth in 



2i6 Cynthias Revels [act v 

his word, who saith he made man glorious, after his owne 
Hkenes, and fayrest of all other terrestiall Creatures.' He 
has much more in the same vein. Marston, in his Scourge of 
Villanie (3. 350—1), devotes a few lines to painting: 

Her mask so hinders me, 
I cannot see her beauty's deity. 
Now that is off, she is so vizarded. 
So steep'd in lemon's juice, so surphuled, 
I cannot see her face. Under one hood 
Two faces; but I never understood 
Or saw one face under two hoods till now: 
'Tis the right resemblance of old Janus' brow. 

Sir John Davies has an epigram on the practice, In Dacum 15 : 

Dacus, with some good color and pretence. 
Terms his love's beauty 'silent eloquence'; 
For she doth lay more colors on her face 
Than ever TuUy us'd his speech to grace. 

5. 4. 55 I desire to deserue before 'hem. I. e., be deemed 
worthy as a contestant by them, so that he may have the op- 
portunity to humble such disgraceful fops. 

5. 4. 57 howsoeuer we neglect him. I. e., Crites. 

5. 4. 78 our disgrace. I. e., our disgracing of Crites. 

5. 4. 99 the carpe ha's no tongue. Carpe may be a slang 
epithet of the day, though it is not so recorded by NED., or 
the notion of dumbness in fishes w^as perhaps more prevalent 
then than it is with us; Jonson expresses it in the Hue and 
Cry after Cupid {Wks. 7. 97) : 

Last, in the Fishes' place, sits he doth say. 
In married joys, all should be dumb as they. 

Cf . also the common German expression : stumm ivie ein Fisch. 
Cunningham quotes Izaac Walton, Complete Angler (London, 
1875), p. 144: 'Gesner says, carps have no tongue like other 
fish, but a piece of fleshlike fish in their mouth like to a tongue.' 
Perhaps this fact was known to Jonson ; if so, it would be like 
him to take pleasure in exhibiting this bit of knowledge by 
using carp instead of the generic term fish. 
5, 4. 116 I haue seene the lyons. 'The dens of the Tower 



ACT v] Explanatory Notes 217 

were great attractions for many generations of Londoners as 
the one place in London where such fearsome beasts as Hve 
lions could be seen.' — Boulton, Amusements of Old London 
2. 55. Stow {Survey of London, p. 76) thus sketches the 
history of the first English ' zoo ' : ' But now for the Lion Tower 
and lions in England, the original, as I have read, was thus. 
Henry L built his manor of Woodstock, with a park, which 
he walled about with stone, seven miles in compass, destroying 
for the same divers villages, churches, and chapels; and this 
was the first park in England. He placed therein, besides 
great store of deer, divers strange beasts to be kept and 
nourished, such as were brought to him from far countries, 
as lions, leopards, lynxes, porpentines, and such other. More, 
I read that in the year 1235, Frederick the emperor sent to 
Henry HL three leopards, in token of his regal shield of arms, 
wherein three leopards were pictured; since the which time 
those lions and others have been kept in a part of this bulwark 
[the Tower], now called the Lion Tower, and their keepers 
there lodged.' Jonson refers to the Tower lions in the Masque 
of Augurs {Wks. 7. 409): 

Notch. I have seen the lions ere now, and he that hath 
seen them may see the king. 

Slug. I think he may: but have a care you go not too 
nigh, neighbour Notch, lest you chance to have a tally 
made on your pate, and be clawed with a cudgel; there 
is as much danger going too near the king, as the lions. 

5. 4. 122 that blacke deuill there. See note on Induct. 95. 

5. 4. 145 vouchsafe the tenure of this ensigne. It appears 
from this that the lady who was being courted held in her 
hand a banner of some sort while the contest was in progress. 

5. 4. 151 Fore-top. See note on 3. 4. 13. 

5. 4. 156 french curteau. Perhaps a purposely false render- 
ing of the French courtauld, a small spirited horse. The nose 
slit is probably a humorous extension of the idea involved in 
the curtal's docked tail and cropped ears. 

5. 4. 162 solemne band-string. The cords which fastened 
the 17th century ruff or collar were called band-strings ; they 



2i8 Cynthias Revels [act V 

were often ornamented or supplied with tassels. I do not 
know the significance of this expression. 

5. 4. 164 a face like a stab'd Lvcrece. Gifford says : ' Perhaps 
the poet alludes to Purfoote the printer's sign of Lucretia, in 
St. Paul's church-yard. This lady, with the dagger at her 
breast, and a ridiculous expression of agony in her face, formed 
a vignette to most of his books.' In view of the popularity of 
Shakespeare's poem (1594) and the general knowledge of the 
historical incident, no such explanation is necessary. 

5. 4. 171 horse-start out o' the browne studie. Possibly a 
rude and sudden advance. 

5. 4. 172 bird-ey'd stroke. Bird-eyed occurs in Volp. 3. 
2, p. 231, where the meaning seems to be nearsighted; 
perhaps we have the same sense here. 

5. 4. 184 partiall. 'Used for impartial; so at least it seems, 
. . . unless the speaker, Hedon, was intended to make a 
blunder.' — Nares. Halliwell comes to the same conclusion. 
But it is perfectly intelligible as it stands: We must prefer 
the Monsieur, we must be partial (i. e., favorable) to him, and 
grant him the victory, because he has so far surpassed our 
own champion. 

5. 4. 239 the oblique leere, or the lanus. Janus, the door- 
keeper of heaven, was usually represented as facing both 
forward and backward. 

5. 4. 250 Signora. etc. In modern Itahan this might be 
(following suggestions made by Professor Kenneth McKenzie, 
of Yale Universit}^) : Signora, ho tanto obbligo per lo favore 
ricevuto da lei, che veramente desidero con tutto il cuore a 
[di] remunerarla in parte; e sicuratevi, signora mia cara, che 
io saro sempre pronto a servirla ed onorarla. Bascio (Bacio) 
le mani de vo' signoria. Twice {sicuratevi and vo') the 2d 
person is used for the courteous 3d person elsewhere employed. 
Professor McKenzie takes ye to be the EngHsh the, but, as 
there is no other EngHsh word in the passage, I follow rather 
the suggestion of Professor Cook, and read lo (possibly il) for 
le,ioT which I assume ye to be a misprint. Professor McKenzie 
translates the whole as follows: 'Madame, I am so greatly 
obhged [lit. have so great obUgation] for the favor received 



ACT v] Explanatory Notes 219 

from you, that truly I desire with all my heart to reward you 
in part ; and be assured, my dear lady, that I shall always be 
ready to serve you and honor you. I kiss your ladyship's 
hands.' 

5. 4. 258—9 As buckets are put downe into a well; 
Or as a schoole-boy.— — - 

From John Davies' epigram. In Heywodum 24: 

Heywood, that did in epigrams excel. 

Is now put down since my light Muse arose; 

As buckets are put down into a well, 

Or as a schoolboy putteth down his hose. 

This epigram was much appreciated to judge from contempo- 
rary mention of it; cf. Bastard {Chrestoleros, 1598, Bk. 2, 
Ep. 15): 

Heywood goes downe saith Davie, sikerly. 
And downe he goes, I can it not deny. 
But were I happy, did not fortune frowne. 
Were. I in heart, I would sing Davy downe. 

Also Bk. 3, Ep. 3. 5-8: 

The goate doth hunt the grasse: the wolfe the goat. 
The lyon hunts the wolfe, by proofe we see. 
Heywood sang others downe, but thy sweete note 
Davis, hath sang him downe, and I would thee. 

Bullen, in his edition of Marlowe (Boston, 1885, 3. 231), calls 
attention to other allusions to Davies' epigram, one by Sir John 
Harington in his Metamorphosis of Ajax, 1596, and another 
b}^ Freeman in Ruhhe and a Great Cast (Pt. 2, Ep. 100). 

5. 4. 266 Madamoyselle, etc. Assuming that qui and di 
are misprints for que and de, the idiomatic incorrectness of 
such a phrase as le voudroy que pouuoy monstrer shows either 
that Jonson had never mastered French, or that he intended 
Mercury to misuse the language. 

5. 4. 317 You would wish your selfe all nose, for the loue 
ont. Gif ford wrongly supposes this line to have been suggested 
to Jonson by Martial; it is from Catullus 13. 13—4: 



220 Cynthias Revels [act v 

Quod tu cum olfacies, Deos rogabis, 
Totum ut te faciant, Fabulle, nasum. 

5. 4. 320 titillation. The usual meaning of titillation is an 
itching, tingling sensation, but Jonson uses it here and else- 
where with the sense of odor; cf. Alchem. 4. 2, pp. 130—1: 
' your Spanish beard Is the best cut, . . . Your Spanish titilla- 
tion in a glove The best perfume.' 

5. 4. 327 muske, ciuet, amber, etc. A few pages of Phny's 
Natural History probably furnished Jonson with the chief 
part of this imposing catalogue of odors. Jonson mistakes 
the gender of aspalathus, making it neuter instead of mascu- 
line, an error due, no doubt, to his having seen the word in the 
dat. or ace. sing, (as in Nat. Hist. 6. 7), cases which do not 
determine the gender between masculine and neuter. 

5. 4. 345 it is one special! argument to me, etc. I suspect 
Jonson's notion was that expressed by Phantastes in Lingua 
4. 3 (Dodsley's 0. PL 9. 420) : ' For none can wear civet, but 
they are suspected of a proper bad scent ; whence the proverb 
springs. He smelleth best, that doth of nothing smell.' Per- 
haps Jonson has Martial 2. 12 in mind: 

Hoc mihi suspectum est, quod oles bene, Posthume, semper: 
Posthume, non bene olet, qui bene semper olet. 

5. 4. 360 when a satten is cut vpon six taffataes. Slits 
were cut in an outer garment so that one of a different color 
beneath might show through ; the outer garment was generally 
of coarse cloth, the inner of silk or satin. Cf. Butler, Htidibras 
(Aldine ed., 1893) 1. 5: 

'Twas English cut on Greek and Latin, 
Like fustian heretofore on satin. 

Taffeta in Jonson's day was a glossy silk cloth; satin cut on 
six layers of silk would have been an unheard of extravagance. 

5. 4. 380 these impostors would not bee hang'd ? L e., 
do you mean to tell me they ought not to be hanged? See 
note on 4. 3. 204. 

5. 4. 386 bolognian ribbands. Ribbons were just coming 
into vogue at this time; perhaps it is well that Jonson did not 



ACT v] Explanatory Notes 221 

live to see the development of this fashion as described bj'' 
Evelyn, Tyrannus; or the Mode, 1661 (quoted by Planche, 
Cyclo. of Costume 1. 417) : 'It was a fine silken thing which I 
espied walking th' other day through Westminster Hall, that 
had as much ribbon about him as would have plundered six 
shops and set up twenty country pedlars. All his body was 
drest like a May-pole or a Tom o' Bedlam's cap. A frigat 
newly rigg'd kept not half such a clatter in a storme as this 
puppet's streamers did when the wind was in his shrouds; 
the motion was wonderful to behold, and the well-chosen 
colours were red, orange, and blew, of well gum'd satin, 
which argued a happy fancy.' 

5. 4. 390 deuant. Gifford suggests foretop; Cunningham, 
beard; deuant (French devant, before) means merely front. 
This was doubtless spoken with a gesture which indicated the 
part of the face or dress which was to be perfumed. 

May it ascend, like solemne sacrifice, into the nostrils o£ 
the Queen of Loue. The arbitress at a Court of Love was 
sometimes called the Queen of Love. Certain elements of 
Jonson's portrayal of the courting-contest suggest that the 
old mediaeval Court of Love was in his mind. For example, 
the exclusion of Mistress Downfall's husband, the keeping of 
the door by Morphides, and the presence of the guardian 
Moria, vaguely suggest that institution. See Robert Bell's 
essay on the Courts of Love in his ed. of Chaucer (1878) 4. 
260—79; W. A. Neilson, Origins and Sources of the Court of 
Love; and C. R. Baskervill, English Elements in Jonson's 
Early Comedy, pp. 219—34, where the subject is exhaustively 
discussed. 

5. 4. 403 their first sent, true Spanish. See note on 5. 4. 320. 

5. 4. 409 diapasme. See Glossary, and note on 5. 4. 416. 

5. 4. 416 chaine of pomander. Aromatic substances were 
moulded into a ball which was carried in a bag or small box, 
or suspended from the neck or wrist by a chain; in Lingua 
4. 3 (Dodsley's 0. PL 9. 419), a receipt for its manufacture is 
given: ' jst Boy. Your only way to make a good pomander is 
this: — Take an ounce of the purest garden mould, cleansed 
and steeped seven days in change of motherless rosewater; 



222 Cynthias Revels [act v 

then take the best ladanum, benzoine, both storaxes, amber- 
gris, civet and musk: incorporate them together, and work 
them into what form you please. This, if your breath be not 
too vahant, will make you smell as sweet as my lady's dog.' 

5. 4. 419 kept in an onyx. Onyx was much used by the 
ancients for making small vases and cups in which precious 
ointment was kept; Jonson may have a similar thought 
here. 

5. 4. 428 Excellent. Hedon, Anaides, and Asotus are all 
ravished at the sight of Mercury beating the barber. 

5. 4. 442 a breath like a panther. Cf. Volp. 3. 6, p. 250: 

Spirit of roses, and of violets, 

The milk of unicorns, and panthers' breath. 

The sweetness of the panther's breath was a very old idea. 
The first mention of it is by Aristotle {De Animalihus HistoricB, 
Bk. 9, chap. 6) : ' It has been observed that wild beasts are 
deHghted by the pleasant odor of the panther.' It was often 
referred to in the bestiaries of the Middle Ages; see Lauchert, 
Geschichte des Physiologus (Strassburg, 1889), p. 19; on p. 201 
a mediaeval explanation of this sweetness of breath is fur- 
nished: 'Dem Panther folgen hier dieTiere deshalb nach, weil 
sein siisser Atem die Kraft hat, kranke Tiere zu heilen ; dieser 
siisse Geruch kommt aber daher, weil der Panther sich nur 
von den reinsten Wurzeln nahrt.' The idea was a favorite 
with the Elizabethans; cf. Nashe, Attack on Stuhhes, p. 40* 
(in FurnivaU's ed. of Stuhhes' Anatomy of Abuses): 'The 
Panther smelleth sweetelie, but onely to brute beastes, which 
shee draweth unto her to theyr destruction.' 

5. 4. 448 Hee do's Ught all his torches at your eyes, etc. The 
same thought appears again in A Challenge at Tilt, Wks. 7. 
214: '2 Cupid :^had I not hghted my torches in her eyes, 
planted my mother's roses in her cheeks; were not her eye- 
brows bent to the fashion of my bow, and her looks ready to 
be loosed thence, like my shafts?' 

5. 4. 453 no head, nor foot. That is, no Hmit. 

5. 4. 469 Your frenchified foole is your onely foole. As 
Amorphus makes this remark, he leans over Mercury's 



ACT v] Explanatory Notes 223 

shoulder, and turns defeat into victory by giving him the 
bitter Bob, described in 5, 2. 65 ff. 

5. 4. 472 Buzze. ' An interjection, or rather a sibilant sound 
to command silence.' — Schmidt, Shak.-Lex. ; cf. Hamlet 

2. 2. 411-3: 

Pol. The actors are come hither, my lord. 

Ham. Buz, buz! 

Pol. Upon mine honour, — 

5. 4. 478 Reuerse. See 5. 2. 66. 

5. 4. 493 Your Monsieur is crest-falne. ... So are most 
of ' hem once a yeere. This is, probably, a punning reference 
to the falling out of the hair caused by the 'French disease." 

5. 4. 495 the gentle dor. For 'your gentile dor, in colours, 
see 5. 2. 18 ff. 

5. 4. 538 the Banquet is ours. Neilson {Origins and Sources 
of the Court of Love, p. 68) thus describes a banquet from Jean 
de Conde's La Nesse des Oisiaus: 'The courses consisted of 
glances, smiles, and the like, and a great chalice was handed 
round, the contents of which only increased thirst. . . . Then 
the servants brought in a course to appease the fever of love, — 
embraces and kisses, of which many had their fill.' 

5. 4. 544 kisses as close as a cockle. Cunningham notes 
Jonson's fondness for the expression; it is found in Alchem. 

3. 2, p. 99, and in Masque of Hymen 1. 68. As Gifford points 
out, it is from the Epithalamium of Gallienus (P. Burmann, 
Anthologia Veterum Latinorum Epigrammatum et Poematum, 
Amsterdam, 1759, 1. 684): 

Ite agite, o juvenes: et desudate medullis 
Omnibus inter vos, non murmura vestra columbae, 
Brachia non hederae, non vincant oscula conchae. 

Cf. Thomas : 'Das Epithalamium des Gallienus,' Sitz. K. 
Bayer. Akad., 1863, 2. 41-3. 

5. 4. 545 till our very soules mixe. So in Masque of Hymen 
7. 67: 

Now you no fear controls. 
But lips may mingle souls. 



224 Cynthias Revels [act y 

5. 4. 552 seuen, or nine beggerly sciences. The Seven 
liberal Arts formed the curriculum of the universities at this 
time, a continuation of the trivium and quadrivium of the 
Middle Ages. 

5. 4. 554 fresh-men. Novices, though the word was 
already in use with its modern meaning. 

5. 4. 559 sir Dagonet. King Arthur's fool ; ' King Arthur 
loved him passing well, and made him knight with his own 
hands. And at every tournament he began to make king 
Arthur to laugh.' — Mallory, Morte Darthur, Bk. 10, chap. 12. 
' He was buffeted and knocked about a good deal, and is 
frequently alluded to by the dramatists of Shakespeare's time 
and later.' — CD. 

5. 4. 572 Who offers? I. e., who begins? 

5. 4. 575 liberall skonce. The 'seven or nine beggerly 
sciences ' (the liberal arts of the mediaeval universities) unfitted 
a man for courtship, in Anaides' opinion. See 5. 4. 552 ff., 
and note. 

5. 4. 605—6 When men disgraces share, etc. Perhaps Jonson 
is giving us his own rendering of this proverb, which from 
classical times has been common to all nations; Wander 
{Deutsches Sprichworter-Lexikon) quotes three Latin versions 
of it: 'Facile fertur quod omnibus commune est.' 'Levius 
communia tangunt.' — Claudianus, Rapt. Pros. 3. 197. ' Quae 
mala cum multis patimur, leviora videntur.' Cf. also the 
Italian proverb: 'Chi ha un compagno nella disgrazia, e 
mezzo consolato.' 

5. 4. 608 Her beautie is all composde of theft, etc. Small 
[Stage-Quarrel, p. 190) says: 'Every Petrarchan, from 
Petrarch himself down to the youth of to-day, has written 
similar things.' He quotes Lodge's thirty-third sonnet to 
Phillis, 1593, Lyly's well known lines in Alexander and 
Campaspe 3. 5. 128, 'in which Campaspe wins from Cupid all 
his beauties'; and Willobie his Avisa, Cant. 1. 

5. 4. 624 Kisse (Uke the fighting snakes), etc. By kissing 
Hermes' rod, Crites means yielding to his influence, that is, 
exchanging fantastic humors for true wit and reason. 

5. 4. 635—58 In this speech Jonson is clearly justifiyng his 



ACT v] Explanatory Notes 225 

insertion of the courting-contest. He makes it plain that 
he is attacking the affectation and foppery of the court, not 
so much because of its inherent immorahty as because it 
diverts from the nobler accomplishments of which he deems 
man worthy. See Introduction, pp. xli—xhi, where the matter 
is discussed. 

5. 4. 656 Gods high figures. Cf. Gen. 1. 26: 'And God said, 
Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.' 

5. 5. 9 What though all concord's borne of contraries? 
etc. From Plato, Symposium, 187 (tr. Jowett, Dialogues 1. 
556—7) : ' Any one who pays the least attention to the subject 
will also perceive that in music there is the same reconciliation 
of opposites. . . . Now there is an absurdity in saying that 
harmony is discord or is composed of elements which are still 
in a state of discord. . . . For harmony is a symphony, and 
symphony is an agreement ; but an agreement of disagreements 
while they disagree there cannot be; you cannot harmonize 
that which disagrees.' 

5. 5. 15 For as Hermes wand, etc. See 1. 1. 34, and note 
on 1. 1. 22. 

5. 5. 18 better hght then Natures. Love. Cf. Love's Triumph 
through Callipolis, Wks. 8. 90: 

So love emergent out of chaos brought 

The world to light! 
And gently moving on the waters, wrought 

All form to sight! 

Jonson was very fond of this idea ; he has used it elsewhere in 
Love Freed from Folly, Wks. 7. 186; A Challenge at Tilt, Wks. 
7. 218; and Masque of Beauty, Wks. 7. 33, where he furnishes 
the following annotation : ' So is he feigned by Orpheus, to 
have appeared first of all the Gods; awakened by Clotho: 
and is therefore called Phanes, both by him, and Lactantius.' 
fpdvijg in the Orphic system was a mystic divinity, represent- 
ing the first principle of life. 

5. 5. 22 Whose scepter guides the flowing Ocean. Cf. Lyly, 
Endimion 1. 1, p. 6: 'There is nothing thought more ad- 
mirable, or commendable in the sea, then the ebbing and 

P 



226 Cynthias Revels [act v 

flowing; and shall the Moone, from whom the sea taketh this 
vertue, be accounted fickle for encreasing and decreasing ? ' 
See Introduction, p. Ix. 

5. 5. 59 Phoebvs Apollo, etc. Crites, who must now compose 
masques suited to Cynthia's dignity, implores inspiration 
from Apollo, patron of poetry, and from Mercury, the god 
whose chief characteristics were inventiveness and cunning. 

5. 5. 65 Cyllenian Mercvry, etc. Mercury, the son of Zeus 
by the naiad Maia, was born upon Cyllene, a mountain in 
Arcadia. See note on 5. 5. 59. 

5. 6. 1 In my opinion, Jonson never surpassed the lyric 
with which this scene opens. Taine says: 'The noble verses 
exchanged by the goddess and her companions raise the mind 
to the lofty regions of serene morality, whither the poet desires 
to carry us' {Hist, of Eng. Lit. 1. 291). 

5. 6. 23 Monthly, we spend our still-repaired shine, etc. 
Cf. Lyly, Endimion 1. 1, p. 7: 'But thou to abate the pride of 
our affections, dost detract from thy perfections; thinking it 
sufficient, if once in a moneth wee enjoy a glimpse of thy 
majestic.' Also ihid 3. 4, p. 47: 'Is shee not alwayes Cynthia, 
yet seldome in the same bignesse; alwayes wavering in her 
waxing or wayning, that our bodies might the better be 
governed, our seasons the daylier give their increase.' See 
Introduction, p. Ix. 

5. 6. 33 if that. Probably an abbreviated form for if so were 
that; cf. Chaucer, Pard. Tale, 375: 'if so were that I myghte 
Have al this tresor to my self allone.' See Abbott, § 287. 

5. 6. 47 Else, noble Arete, etc. Contrast this exalted picture 
of Elizabeth with the more candid one which Jonson gave 
Drummond {Conversations, Wks. 9. 395) : ' Queen Elizabeth 
never saw her self after she became old in a true glass; they 
painted her, and sometymes would vermilion her nose.' 

When the occasion demanded it, Jonson could laud the 
matron's lot quite as enthusiastically as he does virginity 
here. In Barriers, Wks. 7. 75, Truth says to Opinion: 

I challenge thee, and fit this time of love. 
With this position, which Truth comes to prove; 



ACT v] Explanatory Notes 227 

That the most honour'd state of man and wife, 
Doth far exceed the insociate virgin-life. 

In the Masque of Queens Jonson speaks of Hypsicratea, the 
wife of Mithridates, 'as a notable precedent of marriage 
loyalty and love: virtues that might raise a mean person to 
equality with a queen ; but a queen to the state and honour 
of a deity.' 

5. 6. 56 what we not discerne. See note on 2. 1. 59. 

5. 6. 67 although the partie free. For the omission of is (or 
be), see Abbott, § 403. 

5. 6. 79 Nothing which dutie. ' This sentiment of humanity 
is from Shak. {M. N. Dream, 5. 1. 82-3): 

For never anything can be amiss, 
When simpleness and duty tender it. 

Cynthia and Theseus are exactly in the same situation, both 
prepared to see a dramatic exhibition.' — W. 

5. 6. 92 Phoebvs. See note on 5. 5. 59. 

5.7 — Anteros. ' In Greek mythology, a son of Aphrodite 
and Ares and brother of Eros. He was the god of unhappy love, 
the avenger of unrequited affection : the opposite of Eros.' — 
CD. Cupid explains, in 5. 7. 60—6, why he assumes this 
disguise. In his masque, Love Restored, Wks. 7. 205, Jonson 
refers to Anteros as 'Anti-cupid, the love of virtue'; in A 
Challenge at Tilt, Wks. 7. 213, Anteros again appears as a 
character, an account of his origin being put into the mouth 
of Hymen (219-20). 

The two masques which follow represent Jonson' s first effort 
at this species of dramatic writing, in which he was destined 
greatly to surpass all his predecessors. Not till Twelfth Night, 
1605, was the first of his splendid series of court-masques 
presented, though the success of two entertainments written 
in honor of James' arrival at Althorp on his journey south in 
1603, and to celebrate his progress through London in 1604, 
doubtless paved the way for his later successes at court. Cyn. 
Rev. partakes in parts so fully of the nature of the masque 
that the actual introduction of these entertainments here at 

P2 



228 Cynthias Revels [act v 

the conclusion seems not inharmonious. For an excellent 
discussion of Jonson's masques, see Cambridge Hist, of Eng. 
Lit. 6. 370—98, and for the most comprehensive study of the 
English masque, Brotanek's Die Englischen Maskenspiele. 
See also Introduction, pp. hx— Ix. 

5. 7. 27 citron colour. Probably not symboUc; though in 
the garments of Euphantaste and Apheleia, who wear respect- 
ively a spangled and a pure white robe, the virtues for which 
they stand are suggested. In most of the court-masques Jon- 
son is very careful to mention the colors which the various 
characters wear; but in doing this his aim seems not to be 
symbolic representation, but the attainment of a gorgeous, 
harmonious picture. 

5. 7. 28 Storge. 21roQyii, instinctive affection ; it is generally 
used to designate the attachment which animals have for their 
young, or parents for their children, but Jonson applies it to 
instinctive self-love. 

5. 7. 32 deuice. An emblematic design. The mention of 
Apheleia's silver shield below (57) shows that it was displayed 
upon the usual shield-shaped escutcheon, hke the heraldic 
bearing of a family. The motto, which was inscribed on a 
scroll beneath the shield, regularly accompanied the design. 
Cf. Pericles 2. 2. 19-21: 

And the device he bears upon his shield 
Is a black Ethiope reaching at the sun; 
The word, 'Lux tua vita mihi.' 

5. 7. 37 Aglaia. 'AyXata, splendor, beauty; the youngest of 
the Graces was called Aglaia. 

5. 7. 40 keepe societies together with faire familiaritie. 
Jonson knew what this meant; cf. Beaumont's Letter to Ben 
Jonson, Wks. of Beaumont and Fletcher (ed. Dyce) 1. 1: 

What things have we seen 
Done at the Mermaid! heard words that have been 
So nimble, and so full of subtile flame. 
As if that every one from whence they came 
Had meant to put his whole wit in a jest 
And had resolved to live a fool the rest 
Of his dull life. 



ACT v] Explanatory Notes ^229 

We are wont to overlook this genial aspect of Jonson's 
character. See also Conversations, Wks. 9. 402—9, where 
Drummond records the Jests with which Jonson must have 
spiced his weightier discourse. 

5. 7. 48 Mercuriall hat. Mercury, as in 5. 5. 65, represents 
wit and invention. 

5. 7. 56 Her deuice is no deuice. 'I. e., she bears a plain 
shield, without any emblem portrayed upon it.' — W. 

5, 7. 61 arbors of Cytheree. See note on 2. 3. 160. 

5. 8. 4 What shape? Evidently the figure of a goddess, 
adorned as described in the lines following, represented 
Cynthia in the masque, and was addressed by Cupid. The 
' sea-girt rockes ' on which the goddess stands must have been 
represented in some way, either by painted scenery or by some 
device such as was later used in the masques. A similar effect 
seems to have been produced for the Masque of Blackness 
{Wks. 7. 6) : ' First for the scene, was drawn a landscape 
consisting of small woods, and here and there a void place 
filled with huntings; which falling, an artificial sea was seen 
to shoot forth, as if it flowed to the land, raised with waves 
which seemed to move, and in some places the billows to 
break, as imitating that orderly disorder which is common 
in nature.' 

5. 8. 5—6 lawrell leaues, . . . oliue branches. In the King's 
Entertainment, Wks. 6. 403, Monarchia Britannica is crowned 
with a wreath of laurel and palm, denoting 'victory and 
happiness,' and Polemius, who appears in the same enter- 
tainment, is 'crowned with laurel, implying strength and 
conquest.' The olive of peace was also necessary in order to 
do Elizabeth full justice. 

5. 8. 18 Loe, here the man, etc. See Introduction, p. xxv. 

Delia. I. e., Cynthia. She owed the name to the fact 
of her birth on the island of Delos. 

5. 8. 23 Phcebvs. As leader of the muses; in the Masque of 
Augurs {Wks. 7. 420), Apollo is described as he 

That taught the muses all their harmony. 

5. 8. 33 gloomy multitude. Jonson had a supreme contempt 



230 Cynthias Revels [act v 

for the multitude. See Introduction, p. xxxi. In Jonson's 
estimation, it took more than clothes to exempt a man from 
the vulgar herd. In Explorata, Wks. 9. 155, he speaks of the 
false standards of literary judgment which the multitude 
possesses, and continues: 'Nor think this only to be true in 
the sordid multitude, but the neater sort of our gallants: for 
all are the multitude; only they differ in clothes, not in 
judgment or understanding.' 

5. 8. 41 thy beauties. See note on 5. 6. 47. 

5. 9. 2 These foure brethren. Jonson realizes that a court 
must be composed of gallants; here he presents us with types 
of the ideal courtier: Eucosmos (decorous), Eupathes {enjoying 
good things), Eutolmos (courageous), Eucolos (good-natured). 
By his introduction of Eupathes, he makes it clear that he 
does not object to dainty fare and costly garments, provided 
moderation and good sense accompany them. The idea that 
vices represent an excess of those qualities which existing in 
moderation are virtues, is, of course, Aristotelian ; cf. Nic.Ethics, 
Bk. 2, chap. 8 : ' Of those three dispositions or habits, of which 
that in the middle is only right, the extremes are contrary to, 
and at variance with, each other, and also with the virtue 
which lies between them. . . . Enough has been said to shew 
that virtue consists in mediocrity.' 

5, 9. 3 Evtaxia. EvTagia, orderly behavior. 

5. 10. 12 They are the Nymphs must doe it. Omission of 
the relative is very common; cf. Shak., Meas. for Meas. 2. 
2. 33: 

I have a brother is condem'd to die. 

See Abbott, § 244. 

5 10. 14 would be tam'd. Require to be tamed; see 
note on 4. 3. 204. 

5. 10. 35 antiperistasis. See Introduction, pp. Ixi— bcii. 

5. 10. 74 Ex vngue. Ex ungue leonem — The lion may be 
known by his claw. 

5. 10. 86 Anteros. See note on 5. 7 — 

5. 11. 9 ff. See Introduction, pp. xxix— xxxi. 



ACT v] Explanatory Notes 231 

5. 11. 16 comparing more Then he presum'd. I. e., show- 
ing a greater lack of reverence and more audacity in com- 
paring herself to a goddess than Actason did in presuming to 
enter Cynthia's bower. 

5. 11. 23 To make religion of offending heauen. I. e., 
scrupulously to avoid offending heaven (see Glossary) ; so in 
Jonson's Entertainment at Theobalds 6. 480: 

such Powers as you, 
Should make religion of offending fate, 
Whose dooms are just, and whose designs are true. 

5. 11, 36 tyre of shine. Gifford supposes tyre here to mean 
'the rays of light that usually circled the brows of Diana.' 

5. 11. 43 Honour hath store of spleene, but wanteth gall. 
I. e., a just wrath {indignitas, ira), but without bitterness 
{invidia, odium). Jonson doubtless had the Latin words 
with their figurative meanings in mind. 

5. 11. 76 our brother. Zeus was the father of both Cynthia 
and Mercury. 

5. 11. 93 we meane not a censorian taske. Cynthia does not 
wish to spend time in arraigning and censuring the miscreants, 
but is anxious to have the business of cleansing the court 
quickly and decisively performed. 

5. 11. 138 Delia. See note on 5. 8. 18. 

5. 11. 144 Niobes stone. See 1. 2. 85, and note. 

5. 11. 147 And of a stone be called. Of, used to denote 
transformation from a former state, in a sense at least anal- 
ogous to the present one, is not adequately treated in the 
New Eng. Did. Professor Cook, whom I asked for light on 
this usage, informed me that it is to be found in 'classical' 
English writers, since it comes from Greek and Latin, and fur- 
nished me the following illustrations : Sophocles, (Ed.Tyr. 454: 
TV(f)Xbq yag ly. SidoQxorog, 'A blind man, hew ho now hath 
sight' ; Xenophon, Cyr. 3.1.17 : e§ a(f^QOvoq GojifQcov vevevtjrai, 
'from being indiscreet, is become discreet'; Horace, Od. 3. 
30. 12: 'ex humih potens'; Ei>ist. 1. 7. 83; Sat. 2. 7. 54; Ars 
Poet. 143; Virgil, ^n. 10. 221; Ovid. Met. 2. 653; 10. 700; 
15. 268. So Milton, Tenure {Wks., Bohn, 2. 47) : 'raised them 



232 Cynthias Revels [act v 

to be high and rich of poor and base'; Par. Lost 4. 153; 9. 
567, 712; 10. 720; 11. 56; 12. 167. 

weeping Crosse. ' Penances were very commonly performed 
at wayside and other crosses, and, as they were attended 
with manifestations of contrition, hence arose the name of 
Weeping Crosses. The memory of this pious custom is 
preserved in an old English proverb: "The way to Heaven is 
by Weeping Cross." Another homely distich is: 

He that goeth out with often loss, 

At last comes home by Weeping Cross.' 

— W. W. Seymour, The Cross in Tradition, History, and Art 
(New York, 1898), p. 328. The Elizabethan writers mention 
it often; cf. Heywood, // yoti know not me, Pt. 2, 1. 1, p. 267: 

Had you before the law foreseen the losse. 

You had not now come home by weeping-crosse. 

Alfred Rimmer, Ancient Stone Crosses of England (London, 
1875), p. 127, expresses the opinion that there was some 
connection between the public recognition of lamentation 
shown throughout the Old Testament and the weeping 
crosses of England. 

5. 11. 149 Trivia. A name given to Diana, on account of 
her supposed protection of travelers and the roads on which 
they journeyed. 

5. 11. 151 not as Midas did, etc. In order to wash himself 
free from the golden touch, the baneful gift of Silenus (Ovid, 
Met. 11. 85). According to the various classical versions of 
the story, it was the Pactolus in which Midas bathed, and 
which for ever afterwards was noted for the gold in its sands. 
Jonson, perhaps for the sake of his line, makes it the Tagus, 
doubtless justifying himself by the fact that the latter, like 
the Pactolus, was very famous for its golden sands ; indeed, 
because of this quaHty which they possessed in common, the 
Tagus and Pactolus are often mentioned together; Juvenal, 
14. 298—9: 'auru'm, quod Tagus et rutila volvit Pactolus 
harena'; Claudianus, In Rufinum 1. 101—3: 'Non Tartessiacis 
ilium satiarit arenis Tempestas pretiosa Tagi, non stagna 



ACT v] Explanatory Notes 233 

rubentis aurea Pactoli'; Pliny, Nat. Hist. 33. 21: 'Aurum 
invenitur in nostro orbe . . . : fluminum ramentis, ut in Tago 
Hispaniae, Pado Italiae, Hebro Thracise, Pactolo Asiae, Gange 
Indias.' Many other writers mention the gold of the Tagus: 
Catullus, Virgil, Ovid, Seneca, Martial, etc. 

5. 11. 153 Helicon. See note on 1. 4. 6. 

5. 11. 174 Cunningham points out the use Middleton has 
made of the Palinode in his Trick to Catch the Old One (5. 2, 
pp. 350-2): 

Henceforth for ever I defy 
The glances of a sinful eye, 
Waving of fans (which some suppose 
Tricks of fancy), treading of toes, 
Wringing of fingers, biting the lip. 
The wanton gait, th' alluring trip, . . . 
' Pothecaries ' drugs, surgeons' glisters; 
Stabbing of arms for a common mistress. 

Dekker alludes to the Palinode three times in Satiromastix ; 
on p. 194 Horace says to Asinus : ' Nay sirra the Palinode, 
which I meane to stitch to my Revels, shall be the best and 
ingenious piece that ever I swet for'; on p. 234 Horace is 
called a ' Palinodicall rimester' by Tucca; and on p. 241 Sir 
Vaughan, the Welshman, declares that Horace 'shal make 
another Thalimum, or crosse-stickes, or some Polinod-dyes, 
with a fewe Nappy-grams in them that shall lift up haire.' 

5. 11. 177 loues, doues. Dove as a term of endearment was 
common: cf. M. N. Dream 5. 1. 331—2: 

Asleep, m}' love? 
What, dead, my dove ? 

Loves and doves are merely other names for the secret friends 
and sweet servants, just mentioned. 

5. 11. 180 stabbing of armes. See note on 4. 1. 212. 

flap-dragons. Johnson defines Flap-dragon as ' a play in 
which they catch raisins out of burning brandy and, extin- 
guishing them by closing the mouth, eat them. Gallants thus 
drank the healths of their mistresses.' Often a burning plum 
or candle-end was quaffed off with a glass of liquor ; by such 



234 Cynthias Revels [act v 

a health a gallant proved his courage as well as his devotion 
to his mistress. In News from the New World {Wks. 7. 343), 
the Second Herald declares that the moon contains no lovers 
'that will hang themselves for love, or eat candles' ends, or 
drink to their mistresses' eyes, till their own bid them good 
night, as the sub-lunary lovers do.' Cf. also Marston's 
Dutch Courtezan (4. 1, pp. 69—70), where Tysefew thus protests 
to his lady love: 'Nay, look you; for my own part, if I have 
not as religiously vow'd my heart to you, — been drunk to 
your health, swallowed flap-dragons, . . . stabb'd arms, and 
done all the offices of protested gallantry for your sake.' In 
2 Hen. IV 2. 4. 267, Poins' abihty to drink candles' ends for 
flap-dragons is mentioned as a quality which endears him 
to Prince Henry. 

healths. See note on 2. 2. 94. 

5. 11. 181 whiffes. Only experts could employ the whiff e 
in taking their tobacco; cf. Every Man Out 3. 1, pp. 105—6, 
where Shift offers to take Sogliardo as his pupil, and ' bring 
him to the whiff e' in one fortnight. 

5. 11. 183 wauing of faiines. etc. See note on 5. 3. 108. 

5. 11. 189 perfum'd dogs, etc. See note o'n 2. 1. 42. In our 
note on 5. 4. 416, we quote from Lingua a receipt for manu- 
facturing a chain of pomander ' which will make you smell as 
sweet as my lady's dog.' 

5. 11. 192 bracelets o! haire, etc. Bracelets, like all other 
ornaments, had a peculiar popularity at this time; Donne in 
The Relic mentions a ' bracelet of bright hair,' the gift of his 
mistress. For shoe-ties, see note on 4. 3. 415; garters, note 
on 3. 4. 68; rings with posies, note on 2. 2. QQ. See Roger 
Ascham's remarks on these and similar practices, in note on 
3. 5. 1, and see Introduction, p. xlii. 

5. 11. 198 From squiring to tilt-yards, play-houses, etc. 
That is, from escorting women to public places of amusement ; 
for a similar use of squire, cf . Chaucer, Prol. to Wife of Bath's 
Tale 1. 305-6: 

And for he squiereth me bothe up and doun. 
Yet hastow caught a fals suspecioun. 



ACT v] Explanatory Notes 235 

This prayer of Amorphus acquires more significance when it 
is remembered that reputable women did not attend the 
pubhc playhouses in Elizabethan times. See, for example, 
Stubbes, Anatomy of Abuses, pp. 144—5. 

5. 11. 204 From belying ladies fauours, noble-mens counte- 
nance. I. e., from boasting falsely of having received marks 
of favor from ladies and patronage from noblemen. These 
were the vices of Fastidious Brisk, who 'cares not what lady's 
favour he belies, or great man's familiarity' {Every Man Out, 
Character of the Persons, p. 6). 

EPILOGVE 

17 Stifly to stand on this, etc. Jonson's good resolution 
immediately evaporates, for this is precisely what he does in 
the last line of the Epilogue. In the Prologue to Poetaster 
(p. 373) he makes what Gifford calls an awkward apology, and 
one that does little more than assume the very point in dispute : 

Here now, put case our author should, once more. 
Swear that his play were good; he doth implore. 
You would not argue him of arrogance. 

The truth is, Jonson could not overcome his scorn of the 
popular judgment, which breaks out again and again; notice, 
for example, his remarks on an epithalamium which he 
includes in his Masque of Hvmen, Wks. 7. 65: '[I] do heartily 
forgive their ignorance whom it chanceth not to please.' 
See also note on Induct. 181. 
Ecce rubet quidam, etc.. Mart. 6. 61. 

The principall Comoedians 

Nat. Field. Nathaniel Field was the only one of these six 
actors to become famous. In Bar. Fair 5. 3, p. 482, Jonson 
linked his name with that of Richard Burbage, the best actor 
of this period, and fifty years later Richard Flecknoe gave him 
similar praise. Jonson probably took a special pride in Field, 
in view of the fact that he had had a hand in his education 
[Conversations, Wks. 9. 379). He acted in Poetaster, Epiccene, 



236 Cynthias Revels [act v 

and Bar. Fair, and his name also appears in the 1623 folio of 
Shakespeare. By 1612 he himself had taken to writing plays, 
bringing out in that year A Woman is a Weathercock. For an 
exhaustive account of his life, with full bibliographical 
sources, see DNB. 

loh. Vnderwood. Underwood seems to have been an actor 
of considerable talent. In addition to taking many parts in 
the dramas of Beaumont and Fletcher, Webster, and others, 
he appears in Jonson's lists of actors appended to Poetaster, 
Alchemist, and Catiline. See Collier's sketch of his life, Eng. 
Dram. Poetry 3. 440—7. 

Sal. Pavy. Salathiel Pavy also acted in Poetaster. At his 
death Jonson wrote an epitaph {Wks. 8. 221—2) from which 
we learn a fact or two of his life and character: 

Years he number'd scarce thirteen 

When fates turn'd cruel, 
Yet three fill'd zodiacs had he beer, 

The stage's jewel; 
And did act, what now we moan, 

Old men so duly, 
As, sooth, the Parcae thought him one, 

He played so truly. 

Tho. Day. He also appears as one of the chief actors in 
Poetaster. 

Master of Revells. At first merely the organizer of amuse- 
ments and merrymaking at court (Stow, Survey of London, 
p. 122), he later attained in the theatrical world practically 
the power of a dictator. 'At least so early as 1574, we find 
him empowered to examine every play that was to be played 
in any part of England. No play might be played or printed 
without his licence, and he had the power to alter, to forbid 
and even ... to destroy, any play he found objectionable' 
{Cambridge Hist, of Eng. Lit. 6. 276). Jonson may have 
coveted the office (Dekker, Satiromastix, p. 231), but in vain. 



GLOSSARY 



In preparing this glossary, the New English Dictionary and the 
Century Dictionary have been my chief resource, though Schmidt's 
Shakespeare-Lexicon has also furnished considerable aid ; for other 
lexicons used, reference should be made to the Bibliography. 

A dagger before a word or a definition indicates that the word 
or definition is obsolete ; parallel lines, that a word has never been 
naturalized ; an interrogation-mark, that the sense is doubtful. 



A, prep. fOn (cf. now-a-days). 2. 
1. 46. A-nights. 4. 1. 148. 

Abettor, n. Supporter, adherent 
■ (in good sense). 5. 4. 100. 

Abide, v. trans. To await. Arch. 
3. 5. 72. 

Abrase, 7;j9^ a. [(L. Abrasus.] 
Rubbed smooth ; clean, blank, 
5. 7. 53. 

Absolute, a. Free from all im- 
perfection, perfect. 4. 3. 32. 

-j-Accommodate, ppl. a. Suited, 
adapted, fitted. 5. 3. 59. 

Accomplish, v. To make com- 
plete, furnish with "what is 
wanting. 5. 3. 3. 

Act, n. 1. Activity. 3. 4. 24. 
2. A demonstration of pro- 
ficiency. 4. 5. 97. 

Addicted, ppl. a. -{-Attached, 
devoted. 4. 3. 41. 

Adiection, n. Addition. 3. 5. 
101. 

Adaance, v. To put forward or 
display. Rare. 4. 5. 103 ; 5. 
3. 88 ; 5. 4. 14. 

Aduentare, v. To dare, run the 
risk. Induct. 137. 

Adult'rate, 7;/)?. a. Degraded, 
corrupted. Prologue 8. 

JDnchoaie, n. [For anchovy.] A 
small fish of the Herring fam- 
ily. 2. 3. 109. 

•f-Affect, n. Mood, feeling to- 
wards. 3. 3. 34. 

Affect, V. 1. To have affection 



or liking for ; to fancy. 1. 4. 
37, 128. Arch, or? 06s. 

f 2. To seek or aspire (to do 
a thing). 2. 3. 138 ; 4. 5. 129. 

Affectation, n. Ai-tificial as- 
sumption. 5. 1. 6. 

Affected, ppl. a. f 1. Beloved. 
4. 3. 306. 

2. Applied, adapted. 4. 3. 
330. 

Affectioned, ppl. a. fWarmly 
disposed, devoted (servant, 
^veil-wisher, or the like). 5. 

4. 221. 

Afore, conj. Arch, and dial. Be- 
fore. Induct. 36. 

Aforehand, adv. Arch. In antic- 
ipation, in advance. Arch, and 
dial. Induct. 39. 

Against, prep. 1. In anticipation 
of. 2. 1. 55. 

2. In time for. 3. 1. 18. 

Ag'aiust, conj. In expectation of, 
and provision for, the time 
when. Arch, and dial. 3. 4. 
56; 4. 5. 9. 

Ambiguons, a. See note on 3. 

5. 105. 

Ambre, n. Ambergris, a secre- 
tion of the sperm-whale used 
in perfumery. 5. 4. 404. 

Ambnsh, n. Disguise. 5. 11. 77. 

{{Amomum, n. L. An aromatic 
plant. 5. 4. 329. 

And, conj. If. Induct. 133 ; 4. 
5. 70: 5. 4. 232. 



238 



Cynthias Revels 



Anti-face, n. [Coined by Jon- 
son ?] Opposite sort of face. 
2. 3. 30. 

Antike, a. [Form of antic.'] Gro- 
tesque, bizarre. 1. 5. 57. 

Antiperistasis, n. L. Arch. 
JForce of contrariness ; resist- 
ance or reaction roused against 
any action. 5. 10. 33. 

Antique, a. 5. 4. 263. See An- 
tike. 

Aped, ppl. a. PImitated (with, 
the idea of imitative). 5. 2. 14. 

Apprehend, v. [L. adprehe7idere.\ 
f To take. 5. 3. 50. 

Arras, n. Tapestry hangings 
used to drape the walls of 
apartments, so named from 
the town of Arras, where they 
were iirst manufactured. In- 
duct. 157 ; 4. 1. 144 ; 5. 4. 44. 

Arride, v. To please, gratify, 
delight. ?Obs. 3. 5. 83; 4. 3. 
258. 

Articulate, a. Phr. articulate 
power : Power of speech, 1. 2. 
11. 

As, conj. ^With finite verb : 
That. 1. 2. 39 ; 1. 3. 42. 

fAspalathum, n. L. [For aspal- 
athus. See note on 5. 4. 327.] 
A fragrant African shrub. 

Aspected, ppl. a. Phr. every way 
aspected : Exhibiting all sorts 
of aspects. 2. 3. 33. 

Atturney, n. [Porm of attorney.] 
-{-One appointed to act for an- 
other ; an agent, deputy. In- 
duct. 176; 5. 11. 186. 

Auditorie, w. An assembly of 
hearers, an audience. Induct. 
40. 

Away, adv. = Get on with ; toler- 
ate. 4. 5. 24. 

•j-Babion, n. A baboon ; an ape ; 

applied in contempt to persons. 

1. 3. 5; 5. 2. 70. Babioun. 

5. 4. 167. 
Band, n. ' The neck-band or 

collar of a shirt, orig. used to 

make it fit closely round the 



neck, afterwards expanded or- 
namentally. Hence, in 16th 
and 17th centuries, a collar or 
ruff worn round the neck by 
man or woman.' NED. 1. 
4. 109. 
Barke, n. Exterior. Arch. 5. 

4. 38. 

Barre, ». A thick rod of iron 
or wood used in a trial of 
strength, the players contend- 
ing wliich of them could throw 
it farthest. 1. 1. 44. 

Baye, n. (Usually in pi.) Leaves 
or sprigs of the bay-tree, esp. 
as woven into a wreath to 
reward a conqueror or poet. 
Prologue 18. 

Beare-ward, n. The keeper of 
a bear, who leads it about for 
public exhibition of its tricks. 

2. 5, Beggars' Pime, 1. 

Bee qualifie, v. Rare. To cele- 
brate the qualities of. 4. 3. 
16. 

Belike, adv. Perhaps, possibly. 

3. 5. 132. 

Bely, V. [Form of belie.] To tell 
lies about ; to misrepresent. 

5. 11. 204. 

Beneflque, a. [Form of benefic] 
Beneficent, benign. 5. 9. 47. 

Benianiin, n. A shiub which 
yields an aromatic oil. 5. 4. 
315. 

Beshrew, v. ' Evil befall,' ' mis- 
chief take ! ' Arch. 2. 4. 6 ; 

4. 3. 206. 

Besso'gno, n. [For besognio.] 
(Term of contempt.) A needy 
beggar ; a base w^ortliless fel- 
low. 5. 4. 176. 

Bestow'd, ppl. a. ? Employed. 

4. 2. 2. 
Better-gather'd, a. PMore se- 
rious, staid. Induct. 141. 

Beuer, n. A small repast be- 
tween meals. Chiefly dial. 4. 

5. 1. 

Blackingman, n. ?A vendor 
of blacking. 2. 5, Beggars' 
Rime, 1. 



Glossary 



239 



Blanket!, v. To toss in a blanket 
(as a rough punishment). 3. 
2. 8. 

Blazon, n. Her. A shield in 
heraldry, coat of arms. 2. 3. 
165. 

Blinde Doctor, n. PQuack who 
professes to heal blindness. 
2. 5, Beggars' Rime, 15. 

Blond, n. A ' buck,' a ' fast ' or 
foppish man, rake. 1. 5. 1. 

Bob, n. f A * rap ' with the 
tongue ; a bitter jest or jibe. 
5. 2. 65; 5, 4. 477. 

Bodkin, n. fDagger, poniard. 
5. 3. 92. 

Boe-peepe, n. ' The act of look- 
ing out and then drawing back 
as if frightened, or with the 
purpose to frighten some other' 
(Johnson). 5. 4. 262. 

f Booke-holder, n. The prompter 
at a theatre. Induct. 169. 

Bound, n. fA landmark (indicat- 
ing the limit of a territory). 
5. 3. 123. 

{{Bouoli, 71. It. [For bouolo.] 'Any 
round snail.' Florio. 2. 3. 110. 

Brane, a. Fine, splendid, beau- 
tiful. Arch. Dedication 1. 

Brauo, n. fA bravado, a swag- 
gering fellow. 5. 4. 463. 

Briefe, n. ■\Music. A short 
note. 4. 3. 334. 

Bring, v. To cause to become, 
make to be. 2. 2. 72. 

f Broad-seale, v. Rare. To seal 
with the broad seal ; to sanc- 
tion, authorize. 5. 6. 74. 

fButt-schaft, n. A blunt or 
unbarbed arrow used for shoot- 
ing at a target. 5. 10. 17. 

Buzze, int. See note on 5. 4. 472. 

fCalamns odoratns, n. L. An 

eastern aromatic plant. 5. 4. 
328. 

Call, V. See note on 1. 1. 30. 

Canne, n. [Form of can.] A 
vessel for holding liquids. Phr. 
burning of Cannes: 'Impress- 
ing the mark of legality with 



a hot iron on the wooden 
measures then in use.' Whal. 
1. 4. 94. 
Canzonet, n. A short song. 4. 

5. 140. 

Carkenet, n. [Form of carcanet.] 
Arch. An ornamental collar 
or necklace, usually of gold 
or set with jewels. Induct. 81. 
Carkanet. 4. 3. 413. 

Carman, n. A carter. 2. 5, 
Beggars' Rime, 2. 

Carroclie, «. Arch. [Form of 
caroche.] The 17th c. name of 
a coach or chariot of a stately 
or luxurious kind. Obs. exc. 
hist. 4. 2. 40. 

Carrie, v. fTo bear up under, 
endure. 3. 2. 21. 

Casheere, v. [Form of cashier.] 
To cast off, dismiss. 1. 5. 5 ; 
4. 4. 40. 

Casting-bottle, n. A bottle for 
sprinkling perfumed waters ; 
a vinaigrette. 1. 1. 73. 

Cate, n. [Aphetized form of acate 
( OF. achat, purchase.] j-pl. 
Victuals, food. Induct. 109. 

Cauiare, n. The roe of the 
sturgeon and other large fish, 
pressed and salted, and eaten 
as a reUsh. 2. 3. 110. 

Centaure, n. A fabulous crea- 
ture with the head, trunk, and 
arms of a man, joined to the 
body and legs of a horse. 1. 
3. 4. 

Certaine, n. -f^hr. in good certaine : 
In good ti-uth. 2. 4. 83. 

Certes, adv. Arch. Of a truth, 
certainly, assuredly. 1. 3. 43. 

Challenge, v. To lay claim to, 
demand as a right. Arch. 5. 

6. 31. 

Charge, n. 1. Expense. 1. 4. 

145. 

2. Ward. 2. 4. 53. 
Charme, v. To control, subdue. 

1. 1. 52; 5. 5. 16. 
Chartell, n. [Form of cartel.] 

A written challenge. 5. 4. 14, 

140. 



240 



Cynthias Revels 



Cholericke, a. Hot-tempered, 
passionate, fiery. 4. 1. 205. 

Chymist, n. [Form of chemist.} 
? Alchemist. 2. 5, Beggars 
Rime, 17. 

Cioppini {plu. ; sing, -o), n. See 
note 2. 2. 59. 

Citticisme, n. Nonce use. [For 
citycism.] City manners. 5.4.40. 

Ciuet, n. A substance obtained 
from the African Civet-cat and 
used in perfumery. 5. 4. 327. 

Ciuet-wit, n. A perfumed dandy. 
Induct. 209. 

Cleare, v. fTo fill with light; 
to brighten, illumine. 5. 7. 44. 
Cleere. 5. 6. 10. 

Cleere, a. [Form of clear.] 1. Se- 
rene, cheerful. Obs. or arch. 

2. 3. 173 ; 5. 7. 10. 

2. Free (from fault or blem- 
ish). 1. 1. 102; 2. 4. 88. 

+3. Bright, brilHant. 1. 1. 
97. 

f4. Beautiful, fair. 4. 2. 1. 

Coate, n. f Profession, class, 
sort. 3. 1. 37. 

Cockatrice, n. A prostitute. 
(Orig. ' a serpent, identified 
with the Basilisk, fabulously 
said to kill by its mere glance, 
and to be hatched from a cock's 
egg: NED.) 2. 2. 102; 4. 
4. 15; 5. 3. 23. 

Coile, n. Fuss, ado. 4. 4. 2. 
Coyle. 5. 4. 339. 

Colledge, n. [Form of college.] 
[ ( OF. college ( L. collegium, 
persons united by the same 
office or calling.] A body of 
colleagues or companions. 2. 

4. 93. 

Comical!, a. f Comic. Title- 
page of folio. 

Comming', ppl. a. [Form of com- 
ing.] Ready, eager, complaisant. 

3. 4. 37. 

Complement, n. f Observance of 
ceremony in social relations. 

5. 9. 10. 
Complementarie, n. Master of 

defence. See note on 5. 4. 20. 



Composure, n. f The process of 

composing ; composition. 1. 

4. 15. 
Conceipt, n. 2. 1. 10. See 

Coticeit. 
Conceit, n. 1. Gaiety of imagi- 
nation, wit. Conceipt. 2. 1. 

10. 
•j-2. Opinion, judgment. 5. 

2. 34; 5. 5. 35. 
Conceit, v. To take a fancy to. 

Now dial. 5. 3. 128. 
Conceited, ppl. a. fingenious, 

clever. 1. 4. 157; 4. 5. 29. 
Confect, «. A sweetmeat made 

of fruit, seed, etc., preserved 

in sugar ; a comfit. 5. 4. 384. 
Confection, n. f Composition, 

mixture, compound. 5. 4. 323. 
Confederate, a. Plotted with 

another. 3. 4. 58. 
Conniue, v. -{-To neglect, leave 

unnoticed. 4. 2. 43 ; see note. 
Consumption, n. See note on 

4. 3. 440. 

Conuersant, a. Having frequent 
or customary intercourse ; ac- 
quainted. 5. 11. 82. 

Connert, v. fTo turn. 1. 2. 19 ; 

5. 4. 650. 

Conuerted, ppl. a. Changed in 
disposition or character. 4. 1. 
30. 

Conuolue, v. fTo enfold, inclose. 
3 4. 11. 

Copie, n. [L. copia, abundance.] 
■f A copious quantity. 5. 2. 21. 

Corne-cutter, n. A chiropodist. 
2 5, Beggars' Rime, 2. 

Cosscji, V. [Form of cozen.] To 
cheat, defraud by deceit. 5. 
4. 602. 

Connsell, n. A matter of con- 
fidence or secrecy, a secret. 
2. 4. 91. 

Countenance, n. Patronage, fa- 
vor. 5. 11. 204. 

Course, a. Obs. form of coarse. 
1. 4. 178. Coursly. 3. 5. 52. 

Courting-stock, n. A recipient 
of courting. 3. 5. 141 ; 5. 4. 
618. 



Glossary 



241 



Courtling, n. A frequenter of 
the court, a courtier (obs.). 5. 
4. 35; 5. 4. 557. 

Couss'. Form of cousin. 1. 1. 
22. 

Coyle, n. 5. 4. 339. See Coile. 

Cracke, n. fA lively lad; a 
'rogue.' Induct. 156, 174; 
2 1. 5. 

Crackt, ppl. a. fSnapped asun- 
der. 4. 5. 144. 

Creature, n. A servant. 1. 5. 1. 

CreWj n. Company, band. 5. 
11. 107. 

Cringe, n. A servile or fawn- 
ing obeisance. 5. 11. 184. 

Crosse, a. Double-dealing. 3. 
4. 46. 

Crosse, adv. [Aphetic form of 
across.] Across, athwart. 5. 
11. 148. 

Crost, a. Thwarted. 4. 5. 65. 

CroTvde, n. A fiddle. Dial. 1. 

1. 26. 

Curious, a. f Dainty ; beauti- 
fully wrought. 1. 4. 109. 

Curl'd, ppl. a. Adorned with 
curling hair. 1. 1. 48. 

Curteau, n. [Used apparently 
for F. curtauld.] A small, 
spirited horse. See note on 
5 4 156. 

Curt'sie, n. An obeisance. 3. 
4. 83. 

Cut, n. An incision made in a 
garment for ornament. 5. 4. 
304, 359. 

Cut, V. Phr. cut upon : Make 
incisions in one garment so 
that another directly beneath 
may show through. 5. 4. 360. 
See note. 

fCuttlebung, n. A knife used 
for cutting purses ; a cutpurse. 

2. 5, Beggars' Rime, 17. 



Dauiaske, v. To ornament. 3. 
5. 121. 

Dasht, ppl. a. f Destroyed, frus- 
trated. (Persists in dashed 
hopes.) 4. 5. 77. 



Dead, a. Decayed, worn-out. 
Induct. 157. 

Deare, a. f 1. Noble, honorable, 
worthy. 1. 4. 71. 

■}-2. Affectionate, loving. 5. 
5. 57. 

Decimo-sexto. ?Obs. 'A term 
denoting the size of a book, 
or of the page of a book, in 
which each page is one-six- 
teenth of a full sheet. . . . 
Also applied fig. to a diminu- 
tive person or thing.' NED. 
1. 1. 51. 

Decipher, v. f To describe, char- 
acterize 2. 1. 30. 

Decline, v., trans. fTo bring 
down, lower. 4. 2. 6. 

Decorum, n. An act or require- 
ment of polite behavior. 5, 4. 
368. Court-decorums. 5. 4. 
375. 

Deep, a. f Late. Rare. 4. 3. 40. 

Delicate, a. fl. Lovely, grace- 
ful, elegant. 4. 1. 200 

2. Agreeable, charming. 4. 
1. 100. 

Demand, v., trans. To question, 
ask. 5. 4. 91. 

Depart, v. Phr. depart with : 
■fPart with ; give up, surren- 
der. 1. 4. 185 ; 2. 2. 100 ; 4. 
3. 344. 

Depraue, v. To defame, dis- 
parage. 2. 3. 139. 

Designe, v. fTo appoint, assign. 
5. 11. 134. 

Designement, n. Design; pro- 
ject. 1. 1. 116. 

fDeuant, n. See note on 5. 4. 
390. 

Deuice, n. 1. Invention. Now 
arch, and rare 4. 5. 116. 
2. A design. Arch. 2. 4. 70. 
-|-3 A purpose, intention. In- 
duct. 114. 

4. A plan, scheme. Induct. 
102 ; 1. 4. 89 ; 4. 5. 9. 

5. A heraldic bearing. 5. 7. 
32. 

? 6. Something fancifully 
designed, as a picture, a pat- 



Q 



242 



Cynthias Revels 



tern, a piece of embroidery. 
4 3. 416. 

7. A disguise, impersonation. 
5. 10. 88. 

Deuill, n. Fellow, rogue (joc- 
ular). 3. 2. 67. 

Diapasme, n. A scented powder 
for sprinkling over the person. 
5. 4. 409. 

Die-note, n. A tone or strain 
which dies away. 4. 3. 258. 

Diffus'd, a. f Confused, dis- 
ordered. 3. 4. 5. 

Disgression, n. [L. disgressus, 
departure.] Departure. (Sense 
not noted in dictionaries ) 1. 
3. 19. 

•f-Dildo, n. 'Penis succedanus.^ 
Bailey. 5. 11. 189. 

Discoloured, a. f 1. Of different 
colors ; variegated (from L. 
discolor, discolorus). 5. 5. 69; 
5. 7. 45. 

•\-2. Without colors. Nonce- 
use. 5. 4. 523. 

fDiscompanied, ppl. a. Rare. 
Unaccompanied. 3. 5. 26. 

Discouer, v. To reveal, show. 
Now rare. 1. 1. 90. 

Discountenance, v. To discon- 
cert, abash. 5. 4. 61 ; 3. 1. 1. 

Discourtship, n. Obs. rare. Dis- 
courtesy. 5. 4. 63. 

Discretion, n. Wager. 5. 4. 
205, 210. 

f Dis-gallant, v. Rare. To dis- 
courage, dispirit. 3. 1. 1. 

Dispatch, v. intr. To hasten, be 
quick. Obs. or arch. 2. 5. 27. 

f Dispunct, a. Rare, [dis- priv. 
+pimctilious.] Impolite, dis- 
courteous. 5. 3. 120. 

Distaste, n. Disgust, dislike. 
Phr. in some distaste of: Dis- 
gusted, offended by. 5. 4. 110. 

Distaste, v. Now rare. To be 
distasteful to ; to offend. In- 
duct. 231. 

fDistasted, ppl. a. Disgusted, 
offended. Induct. 182. 

Distemperatnre, n. Now rare 
and arch. Disturbance. 4.3.348. 



Diuision, n. Music. 'The exe- 
cution of a rapid melodic pas- 
sage, originally conceived as 
the dividing of each of a suc- 
cession of long notes into 
several short ones. . . . Esp. as 
a variation on, or accompani- 
ment to, a theme or " plain 
so]ig." ' CD. 1. 2. 68. 

Docible, a. ?Obs. Teachable, 
docile. 5. 2. 14. 

Doibt, a. [Misspelling for doit.] 
Small Dutch coin, the half ot 
an English farthing. 5. 4. 211. 

Doonie, n. Sentence ; condem- 
nation. 5. 11. 134. 

■}-Dop, n. A curtsy, a dip. 5. 
4. 255. 

fDor, n. Rare. 1. Fool. 5. 4. 
618; 5. 1. 19. 

2. Name applied to bees, 
hornets, etc. 3. 3. 8. 

3. Scoff, mockery. Phr. giue 
him the dor : Make game of, 
mock, subject to ridicule. 5. 

2. 27 ; 5. 4. 495. 

Doublet, n. [F. ( doublet, some- 
thing folded.] A close-fitting 
body-garment, worn by men 
from the 14th to the 18th cen- 
turies. Induct. 222 ; 1. 4. 171. 

Draught, n. f A Privy. 5. 4. 
402. 

Draw, V. Phr. draiv on : Lead 
to. 4. 3. 295. 

Drift, n. f Scheme, plot, design. 

3. 3. 40; 3. 4. 46. 

fDuello, n. Duelling, as a custom 
having its laws and rules 1. 
3. 36. 

Dulcified, ppl. a. Old Chem. 
Sweetened. 5. 4. 413. 

Dyet-driulte, n. A drink pre- 
scribed and prepared for med- 
ical purposes. 2. 5. 8. 

E'ene, adv. Prefixed to verbs, 
with vague force expressible 
by 'just,' 'nothing else but.' 
Arch, and dial. 1. 2. 79. 

Either, 2}ron. fBoth. 5. 11. 202. 

Ember weekes. Weeks occurring 



Glossary 



243 



in each of the four seasons of 
the year, which include days 
set apart by the Roman Cath- 
olic church for prayer and 
fasting. 3. 2. 36. 

Embrace, v. To salute as a 
friend ; to welcome. 5. 4. 67, 
81. 

Emet, n. [For of emmet.] Chiefly 
dial., also arch. Ant. Induct.70. 

Empaled, ppl. a. [Form of im- 
paled.} Bordered, edged. Obs. 
or arch. 5. 9. 29. 

Encomiastick, a. Laudatory, 
eulogistic. 1. 4. 89. 

Enforce,^. To compel, constrain. 
Const, to with inf., arch. In- 
duct. 221 ; 2. 3. 80. 

fEn-g'allant, v. To bring into 
the state of a gallant. 4. 3. 4, 

fEngle, n. [Form of ingle.] A 
boy-favorite (in bad sense). 
' Possibly it was a cant term 
among the players for the 
boys belonging to the theatre.' 
Nares. Induct. 172. 

fEnstil'd, ppl. a. [Form of en- 
styled.] Styled, denominated. 
5. 8. 31. 

Ensure, v. f To tell (a person) 
confidently that (something is 
true). 4. 3. 390. 

Entertaine, v. fl. To hire. In- 
duct. 73 ; 1. 5. 5, 14 ; 2. 3. 84. 
t2. To deal with. 3. 3. 5. 

3. To receive. 5. 4. 56. 

4. To induce. Entertayne. 
5. 11. 201. 

Eimie, «. Hostility, ill will. 
Induct. 33; Enui. 3. 3. 43; 
Enuy. 5. 4. 65. 

Epitaph, n. See note on 4. 4. 16. 

Eqaall, a. f (L. cequus.) Fair, 
just. 5. 1. 38. 

Example, v. f To give an ex- 
ample. 5. 2. 67. 

Exempt, a. -j-Independent. 5. 4 
660. 

Exliorbitant, a. 5. 4. 424. See 
Exorbitant. 

Exorbitant, a. Out of the or- 
dinary. 4. 3. 274. 



Expect, V. fTo wait. 5. 3. 189. 
Expence, n. [Form of expense.] 

Expenditure. 1. 1. 97. 
Exquisite, a. t(Of language) 

choice, out of the ordinary. 

3. 5. 95. 

Fabulous, a. Absurd, ridiculous. 
Rare. 5. 3. 126. 

Fadinger, n. A dancer ; one who 
dances a ' fading.' See note 
on 2. 5, Beggars' Rime, 10. 

Fagioli, n. It. [For fagiolo.] 
Kidney-bean. 2. 3. 110. 

Faine, v. Obs. form of feign. 
1. 4. 86. 

Faire, a. -fKind, gracious. In- 
duct. 180; 5. 11. 6. 

Fantastike, a. [Form of fan- 
tastic] Clever, unusual in 
design. 1. 4. 149. 

Farce, v. To season, ' spice ' (a 
composition, speech). Induct. 
187. 

Farder, [Form of farther.] Far- 
ther. 5. 11. 70. Plir. farder 
fet : More suitable. 2. 2. 23. 
Fardest. 2. 3. 41. 

fFar-fet, ppl. a. Brought from 
far. 4. 1. 18. 

fFauour-some, a. Rare. Ac- 
ceptable. 4. 3. 5. 

Feature, n. f Form, shape, creat- 
ure. 3. 5. Ill, 134. See note 
on 4. 3. 289. 

Fet, a. [Form of fit.] Fit, suit- 
able. 2. 2. 23. 

Fill, V. fTo pour out. 1. 1. 27 ; 

4. 4. 37. 

Filthie, a. f Contemptible. 5. 

4. 247. 
fFitton, n. [Form of fitten.] An 

untruth, a lie, an invention. 

I. 4. 22. 

Flap-dragon, n. See note on 5. 

II. 180. 

Fleet, V. To fade or vanish. 

Obs. or arch. 1. 3. 46. 
Flight, n. A flight-arrow, a light 

and w^ell-feathered arrow for 

long-distance shooting. 5. 10. 

16. 



Q 



244 



Cynthias Revels 



FolloWj V. fTo pursue (an affair) 
to its conclusion or accomplisli- 
ment. 2. 1. 1, 

f Foot-cloth, n. A large, ricUy 
ornamented cloth laid over the 
back of a horse and hanging 
down to the ground on each 
side. Induct. 196. 

Forehead, n. Used (like L. frons) 
to express (a) capacity of blush- 
ing, (b) command of counte- 
nance (NED.). 1. Phr. ivithout 
forehead : Without sense of 
shame, decency. 5. 11. 54. 
2. Assurance. 4. 5. 31. 

Foule, n. Phr. offer foule : Play 
unfairly (a game). 5. 4. 462. 

Forespeak, v. [Form of forspeak.] 
To bewitch, charm. Obs. exc. 
Sc. 3. 1. 32. 

Fore-top, n. -j-Lock of hair ar- 
ranged on the forehead ; loose- 
ly, the top of the head. 3. 

4. 13; 5. 4. 151. 

Forgiue, v. fTo give up ; resign. 

5. 4. 568. 

Formall, a. f Shapely of feature 
or form. 1. 4. 34. 

Forme, n. Conventional ob- 
servance of etiquette. 5. 4. 
636. 

Fortune, n. 1. Chance, oppor- 
tunity. 5. 4. 562. 

2. Phr. of that fortune : Of 
that happy nature. 4. 3. 139. 

Frantike, a. [Porm of frantic] 
Mad, raving. 3. 3. 34. Pran- 
ticke. 5. 6. 54. 

Frapler, n. Arch. A blusterer, 
bully. 4. 3. 354. 

Friend, n. fLover or paramour'. 
4. 1. 157. 

Front, n. Forehead, 5. 8. 8. 

Frot, V. -{-To rub (a garment) 
with perfumes. 5. 4. 318. 

||Fucns, n L. Paint or cosmetic 
for beautifying the skin. 5. 
4. 400. 

Fumig-ation, n. The action of 
perfumingwith aromaticherbs, 
perfumes, etc. 5. 4. 333. 

Furniture, n. Something fur- 



nished ; equipment. Rare. 5. 
6. 82. 

Fustian, n. A kind of coarse 
cloth made of cotton or flax ; 
bombast, rant. Induct. 223. 

Fustian, a. f 1. ' Made up,' imag- 
inary. Induct. 46. 

2. Bombastic, pompous. 5. 
4. 652. 

Gallant, n. 1. A gentleman of 
fashion and pleasure ; a wit. 
Arch. Induct. 83; 1. 1. 75; 
1. 4. 175. 

j-2. A woman of fashion and 
pleasure. 2. 4. 21. 

3. Used in the vocative with 
playful or semi-ironical tone 
= 'fine fellow.' Induct. 18. 

Galliard, ti. A quick and lively 
dance in triple time. 2. 3. 116 ; 
3. 1. 10. 

Garbe, n. fl. Style, fashion. 

1. 3. 26 ; 5. 1. 35 ; 5. 4. 582. 
-}- 2. Habitual manner, beha- 
vior. 4. 1. 27. 

fGarbe-master, n. One who 
professes the art of polite be- 
havior. 5. 4. 550. 

Geare, n. ' Stuff.' 4. 1. 20. 

Generous, a. Appropriate or 
natural to one of noble birth 
or spirit. 1. 1. 100. 

Gentle, n. -j-One of gentle birth 
or rank (used in polite addi'ess). 
Induct. 12 ; Epilogue 1. 

Gentleman-Ysher, n. A gentle- 
man acting as attendant to a 
person of superior rank. 4. 1. 
157. See note on 3. 2. 29. 

Gentile, a. [Form of getiteel.] 
['A re-adoption, at the end of 
the 16th c, of F. gentil, which 
had been previously adopted 
in the 13th c, and had assumed 
the form of gentle.^ NED.] 

1. Polished, well-bred. In- 
duct. 121. 

2. Appropriate to persons of 
quaUty. 1.4. 120; 2. 2. 19. 

Genuine, a. -|-!Native, natural. 

2. 3. 21. 



Glossary 



245 



Glaze, V. To lay on a trans- 
parent color. 3. 4. 54; 5, 11. 
195. 

f Glicke, n. [Form of gleek.] A 
coquettish glance. Hare. 5. 
11. 183. 

Glister, v. Arch, and dial. To 
glitter. 4. 5. 78. 

Glyster, n. [Form of clyster.] 
An injection, enema. 4. 3. 190. 

Gnomon, n. The pin or trian- 
gular plate on a sun dial, which 
by its shadow indicates the 
time of day. 5. 4. 612. 

God so, int. [PVar. of Gadso after 
oaths beginning with God's. 
Gadso is a var. of Catso (a. It. 
cazzo, membrum virile, also 
w^ord of exclamation) through 
false connection with other 
oaths beginning with Gad. 
]^ED.\ An exclamation. Induct. 
2 ; 3. 2. 9 ; 5. 4. 222. 

Graniercies, int. phr. Obs. exc. 
arch. = Thanks. 3. 2. 67. 

Grant, n. f Permission. 4. 1. 
139. 

f Gratifle, v. To give thanks to. 
4. 3. 10. 

Grane, a. Dull, stupid, flat. 5. 

4. 247. 

Grogran, n. [Form of grogram.] 
A coarse fabric of silk, of mo- 
hair and wool, or of these 
mixed with silk. Phr. grogran- 
rascall (contemptuously) : A 
fellow wearing a garment of 
grogram. 3. 2. 6. 

Grope, V. -f-To make examination 
or trial of ; to sound, test. 4. 
3. 384. 

Grounded, a. Fixed, unalterable. 
Induct. 223. 

Gnardant, a. Her. Walking to 
the right and having the full 
face toward the spectator. 3. 

5. 76. 

Guerdon, v. Now poet, and rhe- 
torical. To reward, recom- 
pense. 5. 11. 167. 

Gnll, n. Dupe, simpleton, fool. 
2. 2. 102; 4. 1. 125. 



Habite, n. f 1. Bearing, demean- 
or, deportment. 5. 9. 23. 
2. A garment. Induct. 106. 

Hackney-nian, n. f A servant 
w^ho attends to a hackney. 
Induct. 188 

Hand, n. f Phr. at any hand : 
In any case. 3. 2. 53. 

Hand-ful, n. fA lineal measure 
of four inches. 3. 4. 13. 

Hand-kercher, n. Spelling com- 
mon to literary usage in 16th 
and 17th c. Now dial, and 
vidgar. 4. 3. 26. 

■j-Hang-by, n A contemptuous 
term for a dependent or hanger- 
on. 5. 3. 19. 

Harken, v. To search out or 
find by inquiry. 3. 1. 65. 

Harlot, n. f Applied to a male 
servant or attendant. 5. 4. 
425. 

f Hart, int. [{ God's heart.] An 
imprecation. 1. 4. 171. 

Hauings, n. Possessions, wealth. 
5. 4. 36. 

Hauionr, n. Behavior. 5. 4. 37. 

Head-tire, n. Now arch, or dial. 
A head-dress. 2. 4. 65. 

Heate drop, n. ?Drop of sweat. 
4. 3. 182. 

Hethermost. Obs. form of hither- 
most. 5. 9. 21. 

Hieroglyphicke, n. Symbol, 
emblem. 1. 4. 185. 

Hit, V. To suit. 3. 5. 85. 

Hobbie-horse, n. fl. A small 
horse. Induct. 196. 

f 2. transf. A foolish fellow, 
buffoon. Hobby-horse. 5. 4. 
577. 

Hooker, n. A thief who snatches 
away articles with a hook. 
2. 5, Beggars' Rime, 18. 

f Horne-thum, n. [Form of hor7i- 
thumb.] A thumb protected 
by a thimble of horn such as 
was used by cutpurses, a pick- 
pocket. 2. 5, Beggars' Rime, 18. 

Hospital, n. f An asylum for the 
destitute, infirm, or aged. In- 
duct. 136. 



246 



Cynthias Revels 



fHoug'h, int. Obs. spelling of 

ho, int. 4. 3. 82. 
Hoyden, n. fA rude, ignorant 

fellow ; a clown, boor. 5. 4. 

616. 
-f-Humanitian, n. One versed in 

the humanities ; a classical 

scholar. 3. 5. 36. 
Humorous, a. f 1. Fanciful, ca- 
pricious, whimsical. 2. 3. 170 ; 

4. 5. 87. 
f 2 Moist, humid. 1. 2. 62. 
Humour, n. 1. Fancy, whim, 

caprice. 1. 4. 112; 1. 5. 39; 

4. 1. 217. 

2. An inclination, a fancy 
(to do something). 1. 5. 15. 

3. Mood ; peculiarity of dis- 
position. 2. 3. 128. 

4. Inclination, liking. 5. 4. 
639. 

5. Disposition, temper. 2. 
1. 15; 5. 9. 36. 

Hurdle, n. 'A kind of frame or 
sledge on -which traitors used to 
be drawn through the streets 
to execution. (This remained 
part of the legal punishment 
for high treason till I860.)' 
NED. 3. 4. 49. 

I, Obs. form of ay. Induct. 7 ; 
1. 1. 4 ; 1. 2. 3. 

lacke-daw, n. Applied con- 
temptuously to a loquacious 
person. 5. 4. 260. 

lag, n. A shred of cloth ; in 
pi. rags. 2. 5, Beggars' Eime, 25. 

lauTS, int. The name of an an- 
cient Italian deity, regarded 
as the doorkeeper of heaven, 
and as guardian of doors and 
gates. 1. 1. 21. 

lealous, a. 1. Suspicious, ap- 
prehensive (of evil). Now dial. 
1. 1. 76. 

-}-2. Doubtful, mistrustful. 
Epilogue 3. 

Ignis fatuus. [Med. or mod. L., 
= foolish fire.] Another name 
for Will-o^-the-wisp. Ignis fat- 
ue {voc. case). 5. 10. 58. 



Ill-affected, a. Affected with 
illness or indisposition ; dis- 
eased. 1. 5. 41. 

fill-habited, a. Unhealthy, dis- 
ordered. Induct. 201. 

Imbrace, v. 4. 3. 215. See Em- 
brace. 

f Imbroccata, n. A pass or thrust 
in fencing. 5. 2. 65. 

Impart, v. intrans. To make a 
dispensation or gift. 5. 9. 47. 

Implement, n. An article of 
furniture. Induct. 153. 

f Impolisht, a. Rude, unrefined. 

4. 3. 354. 

Impostume, n. f An abscess ; 
applied to a person swollen 
with pride or insolence. 5. 
11. 67. 

f Imprese, n. A device. 5. 9. 18. 

flmproportionable, a. Not in 
harmony with the occasion. 
(Cf. unproportioned, Hamlet 1. 
3. 60.) 1. 3. 18. 

Inculcate, v. fPhr. inculcated 
to you : Emphatically admon- 
ished you. 3. 1. 85. 

Incurious, a. f Simple. 5. 9. 30. 

Induce, v. fTo introduce. 3. 

5. 80. 

Induction, n. Introduction. Now 
rare. 1. 4. 85. 

Indue, V. To supply, furnish. 
5. 4. 335. 

finfant, v. To give birth to. 
See note on 4. 5. 38. 

Ingenious, a. -{-Intelligent, dis- 
cerning, clever. 4. 5. 29. 

Ingeniously, adv. 1. (Used for 
ingenious.) 4. 1. 33. 

2. (Used by confusion for 
ingenuously.) Induct. 81. 

-j-Inginous, a. [Variant of en- 
ginotis.] Clever, crafty ; deceit- 
ful. 3. 3. 40. 

Inquisition, ». f Inspection. Phr. 
inquisition after : Inspection of. 
2. 3. 116. 

Inseparate, a. Inseparable. 1. 
2. 102. 

Insinuate, v. 1. To signify (but 
see note on 4. 4. 16). 4. 3. 392. 



Glossary 



247 



Instance, n. fCircumstance. 

1. 1. 61. 

Instant, a. Immediate. 1. 2. 

103. 
Integrate, a. Complete, perfect. 

2. 4. 50. 

Intend, v. f To fix the attention 
upon ; to attend to. 5. 1. 19 ; 
5. 2. 3 ; 5. 4. 498 ; 5. 5. 46. 

Intendment, n. fDesign, pro- 
ject. 2. 3. 3. 

Intention, n. f Observation. 1. 
5.42. 

fintergatorie, n. [Syncopated 
form of interrogatory.] Phr. 
have upon interrogatories : To 
subject (an accused person) to 
a series of formal questions. 

4. 4. 11. 

f Inthroniz'dj^j}^. a. Entbroned. 

5. 7. 13. 

Intreat, v. [Form of entreat.] 
?1. To take. 1. 1. 68. 
f 2. To persuade ; to induce. 

4. 5. 107. 

flntrinsecate, a. Difficult ; in- 
tricate ; requiring skill. 5. 2. 16. 

Inti'ude, V. [L. intrudere.] trans. 
To thrust in. 5. 3. 39. 

fInneutious,a. Inventive. 2.2. 65. 

Inuitement, n. Now rare. In- 
vitation. 2. 1. 55. 

flouialist, n. A person born 
under the planet Jupiter; a 
person of jovial disposition. 

5. 4. 270. 

loy, n. Phr. Tis ioy on you 
thatyouwill : ?'Tis your delight 
to. 1. 1. 69. 

loyn'd stoole, n. [Form of 
joint stool.] A stool made of 
parts joined or fitted together ; 
a stool made by a joiner, as 
distinguished from one of more 
clumsy workmanship. Obs. 
exc. hist. 1. 1. 45. 

Irp, w. [Origin unknown.] Some 
kind of a gesture : ?a toss or 
jerk of the head, the act of 
perking. Gifford suggests 
a fantastic grimace, or con- 
tortion of the body. 5. 11. 174. 



Irpe, a. ?Perk, smart. 3. 5. St. 

Itching, ppl. a. That has an 

irritating desire or uneasy 

craving. 1. 1. 65. 

Jerkin, n. A garment for the 
upper part of the body worn 
by men in the 16th and 17th 
centuries. 5. 4. 314. 

Kirtle, «. A woman's gown. 

2. 2. 103. 

Knowledge, n. fl. '£hx. exchange 

knowledge with : Make the 
acquaintance of. 4. 3. 431. 

2. Phr. take knowledge of: 
Take notice of, observe. 2. 2. 
88 ; 2. 4. 40-1. 

IJLadannm, n. L. A gum resin 
much used in perfumery. 5. 
4. 329. 

Lasli, n. The punishment of 
flogging. 2. 5, Beggars' Rime, 
24. 

Laundresse, n. See note on 
Induct. 188. 

Law, int. Now vulgar. An ex- 
clamation expressing assever- 
ation. 1. 4. 67. 

f Leasing, n. Obs. or arch. exc. 
dial. A lie, falsehood. 1.4.23. 

Leaue, v. 1. To cease. Now 
only arch. Induct. 184; 5. 5. 56. 
f 2. Intr. To cease, desist. 
Induct. 98. 

Leg, n. An obeisance made by 
drawing back one leg and 
bending the other ; a bow, 
scrape. Now arch, or jocular. 

3. 4. 29. Legge 5. 4. 152. 
Lengtli, n. Phr. at length: At 

the sword's length. 1. 1. 85. 

Leuelled, ppl. a. Balanced, stable 
in character by a due pro- 
portion of parts. 3. 5. 141. 

Lifting, vbl. n. Stealing (as from 
a shop). Slang. 1. 1. 38. 

Light, a. Cheerful, merry. Obs. 
exc. in light heart. 1. 2. 110. 

Lightly, adv. f Commonly, 
often. 2. 1. 50 ; 2. 2. 82. 



248 



Cynthias Revels 



Limb, b. [Form of limn.] Now 
lit. aud arch. To portray, de- 
pict. 5. 4. 55. 

Lime, v. To smear (twigs or 
the like) with, bird-lime, for 
the purpose of catching birds. 
5. 4. 293. 

List, n. Strip of cloth. (Used 
as a term of contempt.) 5. 4. 
308. 

Lockt, ppl. a. Tightly closed. 
1. 5. 50. 

Look, V. fTo await the time 
when something shall happen. 

1. 4. 181. 

|Lyra, n. L. A lyre. 4. 3. 232, 
306. 

f Mammothrept, n. A nursling. 
4. 3. 328. 

March-pane, n. A kind of con- 
fectionery composed of a paste 
of pounded almonds, sugar, 
etc., made up into small cakes 
or moulded into ornamental 
forms. NED. 4. 1. 134. 

f Mar-kin^ stone, n. An earthy 
stone used for marking cattle. 

2. 5, Beggars' Rime, 3. 
Marie, v. Obs. exc. dial. Con- 
traction of marvel. 4. 3. 39. 

Marmoset, n. A small monkey; 
a grotesque figure. 3. 4. 22. 
Marmaset. 4. 1. 43. 

Measure, n. A grave or stately 
dance. Now arch. 3. 5. 131 ; 
4.5. 70; 5. 5. 8; 5. 10.3. 

Melancholike, a. [Form of mel- 
ancholic.^ -{-Melancholy. 2. 

3. 174 ; 3. 4. 63. 

Mercer, n. A dealer in silks, 
velvets, and other costly ma- 
terials. 2. 1. 50. 

fMercnried, ppl. a. Washed 
w^ith mercury- w^ater (as an aid 
to the complexion). 1. 1. 19. 

Metaphysically, adv. Super- 
naturally {Q. reading). 2. 4. 
86 

fMetheglin, n. Obs. exc. hist. 
and dial. A spiced or medi- 
cated variety of mead, origi- 



nally peculiar to Wales. 1. 4. 
10. 

Millauer, n. [Form of ynilliner.] 
-|-' A vendor of "fancy" wares 
and articles of apparel, esp. 
of such as were originally of 
Milan manufacture.' NED. 
5. 3. 102. 

Mimicke, a. [Form of minnc] 
Imitative. 1. 5. 61. 

Mimique, n. [Form of mimic.'] 
' A mean or servile imitator ' 
(Johnson). 3. 4. 20 

Minerva. -j-Used for ivisdoni, 
ability. 3. 5. 101. 

Minion, n 1. Darling, favorite. 
5. 10. 95. 

2. Hussy, jade (possibly with 
milder sense). 4. 4. 32. 

Minnnm, n. [Form of minim.] 
Mus. A note equivalent in 
time-value to one-half of a 
semibreve. 4. 3. 334. 

Minotaure, n. Gr. Myth. A fab- 
ulous monster, represented as 
having the body of a man and 
the head of a bull. 1. 3. 4. 

-{-Miscellany, a. Phr. miscellany 
madame : ' A woman who weut 
about selling laces, perfumery, 
etc. and took part in carrying 
on intrigues.' CD. 4. 1. 190. 
Miscelany madam. 4. 1. 177. 

Misprision, n. Mistake, error, 
misunderstanding. Arch. 4. 4. 
32. 

IMoscardino, n. PL -ini. It. A 
sweetmeat flavored with 
musk. 5. 4. 384. 

Motion, n. fl. A puppet show. 
1.3.8; 1. 6. 64. 

-{-2. Proposal, suggestion. 4. 
1. 81 ; 4. 5. 86. 

Motley, n. Foolerj^, nonsense. 
Obs. exc. hist. 1. 4. 134. 

Mound, n. ' An orb or ball, . . . 
intended to represent the globe 
of the earth ; often sur- 
mounting a crown, or other- 
wise forming part of the in- 
signia of royalty.' NED. 5, 
7. 17. 



Glossary 



249 



Moath, M. Grimace. 5. 4. 474. 

Mouthed, p^Ln. f Gaping, open- 
mouthed. 5. 4. 109. 

f Mullets, n. A kind of pincers 
or tweezers. 5. 4. 303. 

Mun^rill, n. [Form of mongrel.] 
f Applied to persons as a term 
of contempt or abuse. 5. 4. 
193. 

Muscle-bag, ». ? Scrotum. 2. 5, 
Beggars' Rime, 26. 

Muse, V. fTo wonder, marvel. 
5. 4. 433. 

Musique, n. f Musical instru- 
ment. 5. 4. 148. 

f Muske-cat, n. The animal from 
which musk is got ; as a term 
of reproach to a fop. 4. 3. 352. 

fMuske-worme, n. Applied to 
one who uses perfumes in 
excess. 5. 4. 339. 

Nard, n. An aromatic balsam or 
ointment used by the ancients. 
5. 4. 328. 

Nature, n. Character, capacity. 
Rare. Induct. 53 ; 5. 4. 65. 

Neate, a. 1. Skilful, clever. 4.1. 115. 
f2. Elegant, trim. Bare. 
Induct. 212 ; 5. 9. 25. 

Neatly-wrought, a. Skilfully or 
elegantly embroidered. 1. 4. 
109. 

Neatnesse, w. Elegance or nicety 
of appearance. 5. 4. 657. 

Neighbouring', ppl. a. Closely 
allied. Induct 106. (Neigh- 
bour- 5. 11. 58.) 

Neophyte, n. A novice, beginner. 
3. 4. 54. Neophyte-player. 3. 
1.3 

fNepenthe, n. [L. nepenthes 
(Pliny).] A drink or drug 
supposed to bring forgetfulness 
of trouble or grief. 1. 4. 9. 

Nicke, V. f In the game of 
hazard : To win against (the 
other players) by casting a 
nick.' NED. Hence, to win 
against rivals. 2. 2. 28. 

Nomenclator , n. Rom. Antiq. 
A servant whose duty it was 



to inform his master of tlie 

names of persons. 5. 10. 5. 
Note, n. 1. Melody, tune. Now 

only poet. 4. 3. 255. 

2. Token, symbol. 5. 7. 17. 
Nothing, adv. Not at all, in no 

way. 4. 1. 26. 
Nulli-fldian, n. An unbeliever. 

5. 4. 322. 
Nullitie, n. Defect ; incapacity. 

5. 4. 98. 

Obsequious, a. Obedient, duti- 
ful. Now rare. 5. 2. 20. 

Obseruance, n. 1. Homage ; re- 
spectful regard. Now rare. 
5. 1. 4.; 4. 4. 26. 

2. Observation. 1. 5. 45 ; 5. 
4. 172. 

Obserue, v. fTo court. 5 2. 50. 

iOenanthe, n. L. [Eng. form 
now current oenanthin.] A 
poisonous substance obtained 
from Water Dropwort. 5. 4. 
330. 

Of, prep. 1. By. Arch. Induct. 
91 ; 2. 3. 112. 

2. In regard to. 5. 11. 91. 

3. See note on 5. 11. 147. 
Of, adv. Obs. form of off. 3. 

4. 63. 

OflFer, n. fAttempt. 5. 4. 161. 

On, prep, f Of. 4. 4. 4 ; 5. 4. 
317. 

llOpobalsamnm, n. L. The bal- 
sam or oleoresin called Balm 
of Gilead or Balm of Mecca. 

5. 4. 329. 

Opponax, n. [Form of opopanax.] 
A gum resin used in perfumery. 
5. 4 330. 

Opposite, 71. Opponent. Now 
rare or obs. 5. 2. 29. 

Optique, n. [Form of optic] The 
eye. ('Formerly the learned 
and elegant term ; afterwards 
pedantic, and now usually 
humorous '. NED.) 1. 3. 36. 

Ordinarie, n. A tavern where 
public meals were provided 
at a fixed price. 1. 4. 175 ; 
3. 1. 34. 



250 



Cynthias Revels 



Outrecuidance y n. Excessive 
self-esteem ; arrogance. 5. 2. 
59. 

Ontsides, n. f Outer garments ; 
clothes. 3. 2. 38. 



Paean, n. A hymn or chant ad- 
dressed to Apollo. 5. 5. 61. 

Pain'd, ppl. a. [Form of parted.] 
Made of strips of different 
colored cloth joined together. 

4. 8. 197. 

Palinode, n. An ode or song 
in which the author retracts 
something said in a former 
poem ; hence ^en. a recantation. 

5. 11. 143. 

Parachito, n. A parrot. 4. 2. 

41 ; 5. 11. 190. 
Parcell, n. -j-A fragment (applied 

contemptuously). 2. 1. 28. 
Pargetting, n. Painting (of the 

face). 5. 11. 195. 
•j-Paritor, n. An apparitor or 

summoning officer of an ec- 
clesiastical court. 2. 5, Beggar's 

Rime, 16. 
Part, n. 1. pL Abilities, capac- 
ities, talents. Now arch. 

1. 5. 11 ; 5. 4. 613. 
2. Phr. some part of: In 

some degree. 2. 3. 183. (Cf. 

parcell, 2. 1. 28.) 
Parted, ppl. a. f Gifted, talented. 

5. 2. 73. 
Particular, n. f An individual. 

5. 4. 42. 
Particular, a. Nice in taste, 

fastidious. 5. 4. 36. 
Particularity, n. ^Particular 

quality. 2. 4. 36. 
Passe, V. Fencing. To make 

or execute a thrust. 5. 4. 476. 
Passage, n. A pass or encounter 

(at arms). 5. 2. 65. 
Passant, a. Her. Walking and 

looking to the right. 3. 5. 73. 
Paule, V. fTo render flat or 

insipid. 5. 8. 15. 
Pedant, n. fA schoolmaster, 

teacher, or tutor. 2. 1. 46. 



Peece, n. [Form of piece.] A 
person, an individual. Arch. 
and dial. 1. 3. 28 ; 5. 4. 587. 

Peeuislily, adv. f Perversely. 1. 
3.45. 

Perpetuana, n. fA stuff of 
wool, or wool and silk. 3. 2. 
30. 

Perspectiue, n. f A drawing or 
painting in perspective used 
as stage scenery. Induct. 154. 

Petasus, n. L. The broad- 
brimmed , low-crowned hat 
with which Hermes is rep- 
resented in art. 5. 7. 48. 

Phansie, n. [Form of fancy.] 
Capricious or arbitrary pref- 
erence. 5. 4. 636. 

Phantasticke, a. [Form of fan- 
tastic] Capricious. 5. 4. 293. 

Phautastikely, adv. [Form of 
fantastically.] Capriciously. 2. 
3. 130. 

Phantastique, a. 5. 11. 178. See 
Phantasticke. 

Phoenicobalanus, n. L. The 
Egyptian date. 5. 4. 327. 

Pick-toothe, n. Bare. A tooth- 
pick. 1. 1. 73. 

Pied, ppl. a. Parti-colored, varie- 
gated. Prologue 12. Pyed. 
3. 4. 6. 

Pinke, n. f A hole or eyelet 
punched in a garment for 
decorative pui'poses. 5. 4. 304. 

fPisinire, n. An ant ; applied 
contemptuously to a person. 
Induct 127. 

Place, n. 1. Phr. take place: 
Take the position suited to 
one's rank. 3. 4. 80. 

f 2. Phr. in place : On the 
spot, present. 4. 3. 18. 

Play-end, n. f An end of a 
speech from a play, a ' tag '. 
See note on 4. 1. 211. 

Play-particle, n. A brief quo- 
tation from a play. 3. 5. 120. 

Pleasing, a. f Amusing, ridic- 
ulous. 5. 4. 33. 

Plenilune, n. Chiefly poet. A 
full moon. 5. 8. 11. 



Glossary 



251 



Pocket, V. fPhr pocket up any- 
thing: Submit to any affront 
without showing resentment. 

4. 3. 129. 

Poesie, n. f A motto or short 
inscription. 2. 2. 66 ; 4. 5. 
115 ; 5. 11. 193. 

Poetaster, n. A petty or paltry 
poet ; a rimester. 2. 4. 15. 

Point, n. A thong attached to 
the hose, and used in sup- 
porting it. Now arch, or hist. 

5. 2. 12. 

Politie, n. f PoUcy. 1. 1. 14. 

Politike, a. 1. 4. 196 ; 3. 4. 34. 
See Politique. 

Politique, n. f A shrewd sche- 
mer. 3. 1. 10. 

Politique, a. [Form of politic] 

1. Sagacious, prudent. 1. 4. 
91 ; 2. 3. 15 ; 4. 5. 30. 

2. Scheming, crafty, cunning. 
Politike. 1. 4. 196 ; 3. 4. 34. 

Politiquely, adv. Cunningly. 5. 
2.72. 

Pomander, n. 2. 1. 68. See note 
on 5. 4. 416. 

f Pommado, n. [Form of pomado. 
(It. pomo, pommel of a saddle.] 
An exercise of vaulting upon 
or over a horse by placing 
one hand on the pommel of 
the saddle. 2. 1. 66. 

Possesse, v. To give to under- 
stand that. Obs. or arch. 5. 
2.29. 

Post-knight, n. [Gen. Knight of 
the Post, i. e. (?) of the whip- 
ping-post.] A notorious per- 
jurer. 2. 5, Beggars' Rime, 20. 

Pounded, ppl. a. Shut up in a 
pound. 2. 5. 20. 

Poxe, n. Used in imprecations, 
as : a poxe on't. 5, 3. 126. 

Practicke, a. [Form of practic] 
fl. Artful, crafty, cunning. 5. 
4. 292. 

•j-2. Practical. Practique. 

2. 3. 39. 

Practique, a. 2. 3. 39. See Prac- 
ticke. 
Prjelude, n. f Preliminary play 



before the real performance. 
5. 4. 94. 

Preoccupie, v. To get into 
communication vnth at an ear- 
lier time. 5. 2. 54. 

Presence, n. f 1. An assembly, 
company. Induct. 110 ; 2. 3. 1 ; 

2. 4. 4 (perhaps sense 2). 

-{-2. The state-room in a 
palace wbere the sovereign 
usually appears. 2. 2. 3 ; 2. 

3. 171. 

Presently, adv. -f-Immediately. 
5. 2. 22. 

Presentment, n. Exhibition. 5. 
10. 88. 

Pressing toole, n. Pressing iron, 
flatiron 5. 4. 357. 

fPrest, a. Ready. 5. 4. 126. 

Pretend, v. fTo allege. 1. 1. 
94. 

Prettily, adv. fFairly, moder- 
ately. 1. 4. 25. 

Pricke, v. To choose, pick out. 
5. 2. 80. 

||Primero, n. Sp 'A gambling 
card-game, very fashionable 
from about 1530 to about 1640, 
in which four cards were dealt 
to each player, each card hav- 
ing thrice its ordinary value.' 
NED. 2. 3. 172 ; 3. 1. 50. 

Priuate, a. f Phr. priuate tvith : 
privy to, informed of (some- 
thing not generally known). 
1. 2. 31. 

Prize, n. 1. fA competition. 

•{•Phr. play the prizes : To fight 

publicly for a prize. 5. 3. 10. 

2. Phr. appear in prize : To 

appear at the contest. 5. 2. 19. 

Prizer, n. Arch. One who en- 
gages in a ' prize ' or contest. 

4. 5. 149 ; 5. 3. 49. 
Prodigy, n. fA monster. 3. 4, 

21. 
Produce, v. Phr. too much pro- 
duced : ? Too deep, overdone. 

5. 4. 152. 

Progresse, n. A state journey 
made by a royal or noble 
personage ; also, the official 



252 



Cynthias Revels 



tour made by judges. Now 
somewhat archaic. 4. 3. 186. 

Proiect, n. -j-Plan, scheme. 4. 
5. 12. 

Proone, v. To try, test. Arch. 

4. 1. 181 ; 5. 4. 246. Proue. 3. 

5. 13. 

Proper, a. Fine-looking, 'fine'. 
Now arch, and dial. 4. 1. 48, 
114. 

Property, n. A thing required 
for some specific use. 3. 1. 13, 
56. 

Prorogue, v. fTo postpone. 
Epilogue 16. 

Prospectiue, n. Phr. in pro- 
spective : In view^. Now rare. 
2. 4. 6. 

Prosperously, adv. Successfully. 
2. 4. 85. 

Protraction, n. f Delay. 4. 3. 
207. 

Prouoke, v. fTo call forth ; to 
summon. 5. 4. 149. 

Prouost, n. One who bears an 
intermediate degree in a fenc- 
ing-school. 5. 3. 65 ; 5. 4. 105. 

Prune, v. To dress up with 
minute nicety ; to prink, adorn. 
Induct. 216 ; 3. 4. 55. 

Publishing', vbl. n. Exhibiting 
or displaying for the first time. 
2. 1. 56. 

fPudding tabacco, n. Tobacco 
made up in rolls like puddings. 
2. 2. 95. 

PufPe, n. ?-|-l. A scornful or 
insolent gesture. 5. 4. 229. 

2. An empty, vain fellow, 
a braggart. 3. 3. 26. 

fPunquetto, n. [{punk +It. dim. 
-etto.] A mistress. 2. 2. 102. 

Puntilio, n. fl. The highest 
point, acme. Hare. 2. 3. 46. 
2. A nice point in proce- 
dure. 5. 2. 15. 

Poppet, n. A figure in a puppet- 
show ; a contemptuous term 
applied to aw^oman. 5. 11. 186. 

Puppit-player, n. One who man- 
ages or exhibits a puppet- 
play. 2. 5, Beggars' Rime, 5. 



Purchase, v. fTo obtain, pro- 
cure. 2. 3. 80. 

Put, V. Phr. put in act : Accomp- 
lish. 1. 1. 116. 

Pyed, a. 3. 4. 6. See Pied. 

Quaint, a. -j-Ingenious, clever, 

cunning. 2. 3. 66. 
Queint, a. 1. 4. 88. See Quaint. 
Quit, V. fTo be a return or 

equivalent for. 1. 4. 147. 

Ranke, n. Phr. in ranke with: 
?In company with. 1. 4. 29. 

Rapt, pp. Carried or removed 
from one place, position, or 
situation to another. 2. 3. 179. 

Raritie, n. Peculiar or excep- 
tional quality. 5. 7. 19. 

Rat-catcher, n. One whose 
business it is to catch rats. 
2. 5, Beggars' Bime, 8. 

Rayler, n. [Form of railer.] 
One who rails and scoffs. 2. 
5, Beggars' Rime, 8. 

fRebatu, n. [Form of rebato.] 
' A kind of stiff collar worn 
by both sexes from about 
1590—1630.' NED. 4. 1. 22. 

Rebound, v. tran^. To cause to 
bound back. Rare. 1. 2. 107. 

Reciprocall, a. Similar to each 
other. 1. 4. 77. 

fReciprock, a. [Form of red- 
proque.] Mutual. 5. 4. 52. 

Redound, v. fTo be in excess 
or superfluous. 5. 2. 60 

fRefell, V. To refute. 2.3. 
13. 

f Refractarie, n. A refractory 
person. 5. 2. 6. 

Regard, n. f Prospect, view. 
Rare. 2. 3. 1. 

Reguardant, a. Her. Walking 
to the right and looking back- 
ward. 3. 5. 80. 

Religion, n. [L. religio, con- 
scientious scrupulousness.] 
Phr. to make religion of: fTo 
be scrupulously careful not to 
do something. 5. 11. 23. 



Glossary 



253 



Relinquish, v. intr. f To disappear, 
pass away. 4. 1. 129. 

Remember, v. Phr. if you bee 
remembred: If you remember. 
Now obs. exc. dial. 2. 2. 47. 

fRemercie, n. JBare. Thanks, 
o. 4. 198. 

Remnant, n. A fragment, a 
small portion, a scrap. 1. 4. 
81. 

Remonstrate, v. [L. remonstrare, 
to show.] fTo demonstrate. 
5. 2. 47. 

Repercussiue, a. Driven back ; 
reverberated. 1. 1. 123. 

Repute, V. fTo think liighly 
(of). 5. 2. 6. 

Respect, n. Phr. withmd respect: 
-|- Without discrimination or 
consideration. 5. 9. 47. 

Respectiue, a. fCourteous. 5. 
4. 235. 

Respectiuely, adv. fCarefully, 
attentively. 6. 4. 225. 

Resty, a. Obs. exc. dial, f Slug- 
gish ; inactive. 5. 10. 73. 

Retainer, n. A dependent or 
follower of some person of 
rank or position. Now only 
hist, or arch. 2. 4. 78. 

Retrograde, a. Moving back- 
wards (in literal sense). 5. 3. 
119; 5.4.11. 

Retyre, v. refl. To withdraw 
(oneself). (' Very common in 
16 th and 17 th centuries ; now 
rare: NED.) 4. 3. 276. 

Retyring, vbl. n. Withdrawal, 
removal. 2. 1. 59. 

Reuel, n. A noisy festivity Avith 
dancing, games, masking, 
acting, or other forms of lively 
entertainment. Revel. Title- 
page. Reuell. 1.1.95. (Plu. 
form always used in this play, 
but in 1. 1. 95 we have a reuells, 
a usage not noted in NED.) 

Reueller, n One who takes 
part in a revel, merry-making, 
or festivity. 1. 1. 50 ; 3. 1. 9. 

Reuolution, n. Alteration or 
change (in costume). 5. 2. 23. 



Rid, pa. pple. Obs. form of ridde7i . 
2. 1. 65. 

Rimer, n. A poet, a rimester. 
Epilogue 2. 

Ring , n. Phr. toithin ring : 
Within bounds. 5. 5. 26. 

{jRiualis, n. L. f A rival. Nonce- 
use. 5. 2. 49. 

Riueld, a. [Form of rivelled.] 
Now dial, or arch. Wrinkled. 
5. 11. 196. 

Rodomantada, n. [Form of rodo- 
motitade.] A braggart. 5.4.241. 

Roome, n. fl. An office ; a 
post, situation. Phr. fill'd vp 
a roome : Occupied a position. 
1. 4. 92. 

•j-2. A particular place as- 
signed to a person. 2. 2. 82. 

Rouer, n. -j-1. An arrow having 
a conical head without barbs. 
5. 10. 16. 

2. One who roves or wanders. 

1. 1. 9. 

Ruffle, V. To swagger, bear 
oneself proudly or arrogantly. 
Novi^ arch. 3. 5. 125. 

fSackbut, n. A cask of sack. 

2. 2. 81. 

Sack-posset, n. A di-ink com- 
posed of hot milk curdled with 
sack. 2. 4. 31. 

Sadnesse, n. f Seriousness. 4. 2. 
37 ; 4. 4. 16. 

fSampsuchine, n. Oil of mar- 
joram. 5. 4. 321. 

Sand-bagge, n. See note on 2. 
5. 26. 

fSanna, w. L. A mimicking 
grimace, esp. in mockery or 
derision. 5. 2. 76. 

Sasafras, w. [Form, oi sassafras.] 
A tree, the oil of which is 
much used in perfumery. 5. 
4, 408. 

Satyre, n. Myth. One of a class 
of woodland gods or demons, 
in form partly human and 
partly bestial, supposed to be 
the companions of Bacchus. 
1. 3. 5. 



254 



Cynthias Revels 



fSay, V. To try (on). 4. 1. 118. 
Say, V. To rehearse. 3. 5. 89. 
f Scape, V. To escape, app. in 

sense of pass. 1. 1. 37. 
IScholaris, n. L. A pupil. 5. 

4.71. 
f Scholaritie, n. Rare. Scholar- 
ship. 5. 4. 572. 
Scorne, n. 1. fPhr, giiie the 

scorne : Mock, deride. 5. 4. 115. 
2. Phr. thinke foule scorne : 

Despise utterly. See note on 

5. 3. 77. 
Scorne, v. fTo mock, deride. 

5. 10. 67. 
Scarce, v. To sift through a 

sieve. 5. 4. 414. 
Seeke, v. -j-Plir. seeke out : With- 
draw. 4. 2. 20. 
fSempster, n. A man or 

woman employed in sewing. 

5. 3. 102. 
Serious, n. 2. 4. 3. See note on 

4. 4. 16. 
Seruant, n. f A professed lover. 

(Notice the correlative term 

mistress., which is still in use.) 

4. 1. 125 ; 5. 2. 20. 
Sesama, n. [Porm of sesame.] 

A widely cultivated plant. 5. 

4. 328. 

Sew, V. Obs. form of Sue. 4. 3. 286. 
fS'foot, int. [(God's foot.] An 

imprecation. 5. 4. 99. 
f S'liart, int. [(God's heart.] An 

imprecation. 2. 2. 8 ; 4. 3. 128. 

Heart. 5. 4. 562. Hart. 3. 2. 1. 
Shew, V. [Porm of show.] intr. 

To appear. 5. 3. 124. 
Shifter, n. ?One who changes 

his suit often. 2. 3. 100. 
Shifting, ppl. a. Sly, shifty. 

3. 1. 62. 

Shine, w. Brightness, irradiation. 

5. 6. 23 ; 5. 7. 42 ; 5. 11. 36. 
Sillababbe, n. ' A dish made 

by mixing wine, ale, or cider, 
with cream or milk, so as to 
form a soft curd : this is sweet- 
ened, and flavored with lemon- 
juice, rose-water, etc' CD. 

4. 1. 185. 



Sirrah, n. A word of address, 

generally equivalent to ' fellow ' 

or ' sir '. Obs. or arch. 2. 2. 65. 

Sirha. 2. 1. 22. 
Skinker, n. A tapster. Obs. or 

provin. 2. 5, Beggars' Rime, 

12. 
Skoncc, n. [Form of sconce.] A 

jocular term for the head; 

hence, 'head', sense, wit. JSED. 

5. 4. 575. See note. 

Slick, V. To make smooth. 5. 

11. 196. 
fSlid, int. [(God's lid (eye).] An 

imprecation. Induct. 15, 36. 
f S'light, int. By this light, or 

God's light. An imprecation. 

1. 1. 71 ; 1. 4. 59, 162. 
Slightly, adv. With scant cer- 
emony or respect, slightingly. 
3. 2. 61. 

S'lood, int. [(God's blood.] An 
imprecation. 4. 4. 23. S'lud. 

3. 2. 60. 

Smelt, n. f A gull ; a simpleton. 

2. 3. 84. 

So, conj. Provided that. 1. 5. 

48 ; 5. 4. 15. 
Societie, n. A company. Induct. 

180. 
Soft, int. Hold, stop, not so 

fast. Induct. 117 ; 2. 2. 15. 
Solemnitie, n. 1. A celebration, 

festivity. 5. 9. 6. 

2. Mock gravity. Solemnity. 

6. 3. 114. 

Solcecisnie, n. [Form of solecism.] 
Inconsistency. 5. 4. 636. 

Soothed, ppl. a. Wheedled, ca- 
joled, flattered. 6. 6. 20. 

f Sophisticate, a. Not genuine, 
spurious. 1. 4. 49. 

Sort, n. Fashion, degree. 5. 4. 
589. 

Sounding, n. Phr. second soimding : 
Second sounding of music, i. 
e., flourish of trumpets. Pre- 
ceding Induct, and Prologue. 

Sowre, a. Obs. form of sour. 1. 

4. 46. 

Speake, v. To indicate, decide. 
Induct. 29. 



Glossary 



255 



Spirituous, a. fLively, gay. 
3. 2. 45. 

f Spittle proctor, n. One having 
a license to collect alms for 
tlie occupants of a hospital. 
2. 5, Beggars' Rime, 16. 

f Splendidious, a. Rare. Splen- 
did ; magnificent. 5. 10. 43. 

Spread, v. intr. To become 
scattered or disti'ibuted. 2. 3. 
172. 

Sprig, n. ?An ornament in the 
form of a spray. 5. 3. 87. 

Squib, n. fA paltry, trifling 
fellow. 5. 4. 131. 

Stacte, n. One of the sweet 
spices which composed the 
holy incense of the ancient 
Jews. 5.4.329. 

Stale, V. To deprive of freshness 
or interest. Induct. 39. 

Stalke, n. A proud, stately step 
or walk. 5. 4. 583. 

Stand, V. trans. To oppose, 
confront. 3. 5. 103. Phr. stand 
to: Abide by. Induct. 16. 
Stand out to: Refuse to associate 
with. 1. 4. 38. 

State, n. 1. A dais ; a chair of 
state. 5. 4. 64. 

2. Phi', keepe state : (a) Pre- 
serve a proper dignity and 
reserve, 2. 3. 188. (b) Main- 
tain the pomp of a noble or 
ruler. 4. 1. 193 ; 5. 6. 4. 

Statist, n. A statesman, a pol- 
itician. Obs. or arch. 2. 3. 33. 

Stay, n. Restraint ; delay. 5. 
8.15. 

f Stickler, n. A second (in a 
duel). 5. 4. 17. 

Still, adv. Constantly ; habit- 
ually, ever. Induct. 44 {mar- 
ginal note). 1. 5. 30 ; 4. 5. 21 ; 
5. 4. 576 ; still-repaiied. 5. 6. 23. 

Stint, V. fTo stay, put a stop to. 
1. 2. 92. 

Stitch, n. A sharp pain. 3. 4. 17. 

Storax, n. A resin with the 
fragrance of vanilla, obtained 
from a small tree of Asia Mi- 
nor and Syria. 5. 4. 329. 



Strange, a. 1. Unknown, new. 
5. 4. 84. 

2. Foreign. Arch. 2. 3. 109. 

Sublimate, n. A preparation 
used in painting. 5. 4. 412. 

Sublimated, ppl. a. Elevated, 
refined. 1. 3. 30. 

Suburbe, a. f Suburban ; suited 
to the suburbs, or to the less 
well regulated parts of a city ; 
mean, low. 2. 4. 78. 

Sufflciencie, n. Ability, capacity. 
1.4. 40; 2. 3.113. 

Suffumigation, n. Same as fu- 
migation, q. V. 5. 4. 334. 

Sugar-candied, n. Crystallized 
sugar. Induct. 233. 

Supposition, n. Phr. for sup- 
position : For instance. 5. 2. 
18. 

f Suspect, ». Suspicion. 3. 2. 54. 

Sute, V. Obs. form of suit. 1. 5. 
58. 

Swim, n. A smooth swaying, 
gliding motion. 2. 4. 55. 

Swinge, v. To chastise, punish. 
5. 4. 565. 



Taue, obs. pa. ppl. of take. 2. 3. 

73; 5. 11. 109. Ta'ne. 5.11.45. 
Taste, V. Phr. taste my ladies 

delights to her. See note on 

4. 1. 189. 
Taxe, V. To censure, accuse. 5. 

4. 623. 

Tedious, a. Slow. 5. 10. 20. 
Tempt, V. To try ; to put to 

trial. Arch. Induct. 22. 
Tender, v. To offer, present. 

See note on 1. 3. 32. 
Terme, n. fl. Figure, object. 

5. 3. 123. 

2. A term of court. 4. 1. 186. 
fTester, n. The name given 
to the shillings coined by 
Henry Vni. 

2. 5, Beggars' Rime, 22. 
f Then, co«j. Than. (See Abbott, 

§ 70.) Induct. 210. 
f Theorique, a. Making deduc- 
tions from theory, especially 



256 



Cynihias Revels 



from imperfect theory; theo- 

lizing. 2. 3. 39. 
Therein, adv. In that case. 1. 

5. 46. 
Thomalin, n. See note on 2. 5, 

Beggars' Rime, 11. 
Thought, n. pi. Mood, temper. 

1. 1. 90. 
Tliriftie, a. See note on 3. 4. 

11. 
Tickle, V. Plir. tickle it : ?Enjoy 

or gratify oneself. 4. 5. 66. 
Timber, n. Stuff, material. 1. 

5.4. 
Tincture, n. Color, tint, hue. 

5. 3. 85. 
Tip-staffe, ?i. A staff tipped or 

capped with metal. 1. 1. 53. 
Tire, n. Head-dress. 3. 4. 80 ; 

5. 10. 48. Tyre. 5. 11. 36. 
jTire-man, n. A dresser in a 

theatre. Induct. 170. 
-j-Tiring-house, n. The room 

where players dress for the 

stage. Induct. 168. 
Tissue, n. A fine-woven fahric 

of silk, gold, or silver. 2. 2. 90. 
Tit, n. [Early mod. E. also titt ; 

appar. orig. 'something small'.] 

A child : a deprecatory term. 

Induct. 126. 
Titillation, n. See note on 5. 

4. 320. 

To, prep. At. 5. 5. 45. 

To, adv. Obs. form of too. 2. 3. 

130, 
Too, prep. Obs. form of to. 2. 

1. 54 ; 4. 4. 20. 
Toward, adv. fNear, at hand. 

5. 10. 7. 

Trauaile, n. f Labor, effort. 

Epilogue 4. 
Trickt, ppl. a. Her. Drawn, 

as a bearing, or achievement 

of arms. 1. 4. 100. 
Trip, n. A light, short step (in 

dancing). 2. 4. 59. 
Trite, a. -{-Rubbed ; frayed ; 

worn. 1. 3. 27. 
Trophae, v. Phr. trophceed into 

stone : Turned into a stone 

memorial. 5. 11. 17. 



Troth, n. Obs. form of fmth. 

1. 4. 119. 

Trow, V. To suppose, think. 

4. 5. 28. 

fTruchman, n. [(F. trucheman, 
( Ar. tarjeman] An interpreter. 

5. 4. 12. 

Trusse, v. To tie, bind, or fasten. 
5. 4. 260. Phr. truss the points : 
Tie the laces which supported 
the hose. 5. 2, 12. 

fTufP-taffata, n. [Form of tuf- 
taffeta.] A taffeta woven with 
a pile like that of velvet, 
arranged in tufts or spots. 4. 

3. 357. 

Turmericke, n. A plant of the 
ginger family. -5. 4. 328. 

Turue, n. Requirement, con- 
venience. 4. 2. 42. 

Tyranne, n. Obs. form of tyrant. 
5. 4. 510. 

Yaile, n. Obs. form of veil. 5. 

4. 628; 5. 11. 71. Vailed, a. 

5. 6. 55. 

Vale, v. ' To bow. 4. 3. 13. 
Vanish, v. Phr. let that vanish: 

Let that pass. Induct. 47. 
Vbiquitarie, n. One who is or 

exists everyw^here. 2. 4. 101. 
Vellet, n. Obs. form of velvet. 

Induct. 211. 
Venter, v. Obs. form of venture. 

2. 1. 67 ; 5. 11. 62. n. Induct. 
22 ; 1. 3. 35. 

Verge, n. ' In Eng. law, the 
compass of the jurisdiction of 
the . . . palace-court. It was 
an area of about twelve miles 
in circumference , embracing 
the royal palace, in which 
special provisions were made 
for peace and order.' CD. 4. 
1. 152. 

Vice, n. See note on 2. 3. 43. 

Vindicatiue, a. f Vindictive, re- 
vengeful. 5. 11. 123. 

Visitant, n. Visitor. 2. 1. 43. 

Vuibra, «. Shade, ghost. Induct. 
202. 

Vmbre, n. A natural pigment 



Glossary 



257 



somewhat resembling anocher ; 

dye. 5. 4. 404. 
Vnequall, a. Inferior. 5. 1. 9. 
Vnhappily, adv. Inauspiciously. 

5. 6. 62. 
Vonchsafe, v. intr. Condescend. 

3. 5 59. 

Vse, V. 1. To do customarily. 
Induct. 152. 

2. To be accustomed. Induct. 
157 ; 2. 3. 101 ; 5. 4. 448. 

-}-3. To be accustomed to 
go. 2. 1. 36 

Vsher, w. An instructor in a 
dancing school. 4. 5. 69. 

fVt-re-mi-fa-sol-la. Syllables 
used to represent the tones of 
the scale, ut having been re- 
placed about 1670 by c?o, though 
still sometimes used in France. 
2. 3. 51. 

Wag, n. ' A fellow : used with 
a shade of meaning sometimes 
slurring, sometimes affection- 
ate, but without any attri- 
bution of humor or pleasantry. 
Colloq. and arch.^ CD. Induct. 
164, 200. Wagge. Induct. 
153 ; 1. 1. 88. 

Wal, n. [Form of tvall.] Phr. 
taking wals. See note on 3. 

4. 31. 

Warrant, v. Phr. tvarrant out : 
f Protect, safeguard. 5. 1. 23. 

fWatchet, a. Pale-blue. 6.9.46. 

Water-grnell, n. Thin or weak 
gruel. 2. 2. 52. 

Waue, n. PGesture, contortion 
(of the face). 5. 4. 109. 

Weare, w. Fashion, vogue. 1. 4. 120. 

Wel-dieted, ppl. a. Well-fed. 
Rare. 1. 4. 1. 

Whatsoeuer, a. Of whatever 
nature. 5. 6. 61. 

Wheele, n. The wheel on which 
victims were bound and tor- 
tured. 3. 4. 49. 

Whelp, tJ. Tobringforth. 2.4.27. 

Whiffe, n. A drawing or drink- 
ing in of smoke. 5. 11. 181. 



fWhite, V. To whiten. 3. 5. 10. 

fWhore-sonne, a. A bastard ; 
a term of contempt. 3. 2. 2. 

Wife, n. Mistress, hostess. (Cf. 
goodwife.) 2. 3. 97. 

Will, V. To wish, desire. Arch. 
5. 7. 16; 5. 11. 115. 

Winne, v. To prevail upon. 1. 
1. 87 ; 1. 4. 170. 

Wish,v. f To recommend. 4.3.213. 

Witliall, adv. At the same time. 
1. 4. 69 ; 2. 2. 36. 

Withall, prep. An emphatic 
form of with, used at the end 
of a sentence or clause. In- 
duct. 82 ; 1.2.22; 5.2. 2. 

Without, prep. Out of the reach, 
or powers of ; beyond. 1. 4. 55. 

Without, conj. Unless. 2. 5. 23 ; 
4. 5. 146. 

Word, n. Motto. 5. 7. 34. 

Wreath'd, ppl. a. fContorted, 
distorted. 3. 4. 63. 

Wring, V. To force. 2. 4. 17. 

Wry, a. Devious in purpose ; 
misdirected. 2. 3. 157. 

-j-Y'cleped, pa. pple. of clepe, to 

call. 5. 4. 170. 
Yeoman, 71. -j-Attendant in a 

royal household. 2. 5. 6. 
Yet, conj. Nevertheless. Induct. 

101. See note on Induct. 98. 
Yfaitli, int. Obs. form of i' faith. 

1. 1. 69 ; 2. 4. 82. 
Yong, a. [Form of young.] Fresh, 

new. 2. 4. 89. 
Your, pass. pron. Used to denote 

a class or vv^ell-known species. 

Arch. 1. 3. 4 ; 1. 4. 8. 

Zani, n. ' A comic performer 
originating on the Italian stage, 
whose function it is to make 
awkward attempts at mimick- 
ing the tricks of the pro- 
fessional clown, or the acts 
of other performers.' CD. 2. 
3. 106. 

fZona, n. L. Phr. zona torrida: 
The torrid zone. 1. 4. 192. 



R 



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INDEX 



A. 

Actseon, identification with Ess- 
ex, XXV ff. ; with Nashe, xxv ; 
myth of, 172. 

Alden, R. M., his comment on 
Jonson's method of translation, 
Ixiv ; on Jonson's obligation 
to Horace, Ixiii. 

Andromeda, myth of, 200. 

Anjou, Duke of, 168. 

Anteros, 227. 

Arachnean, 197. 

Aristarchus, 189. 

Aristophanes, Birds, Frogs, Ixvi ; 
Plutus, Ixiv. 

Aristotle, NicomacheanEthics, 230. 

Aronstein, P., his view of Crites, 
xlvii. 

Ascham, Roger, Scholemaster, 197. 

B 

Bang, W., his list of variant 

readings from the folio xiii ; 

his reprint of the folio, xii, xiii ; 

his reprint of the quarto, vii. 
Barber-surgeon, 200. 
Baskervill, C. H., his opinion 

concerning the date of the 

quarto and of the folio, x ff . ; 

English Elements in Jonson's 

Early Comedy, cited, Ixi, Ixxii, 

174, 181, 202, 221. 
Beards variously cut, 207. 
Beaumont, Francis, Letter to Ben 

Jonson, 228. 
Beaver hats, 179. 
Bird-eyed, 218. 

Black, worn by scholars, 164. 
Blackfriars, xxii, 159, 167. 
Block, 180. 
Blush no more than a sackbut, 

185. 
Bracelet of hair, 234. 



Brazen head, 203. 

Brooke, C. F. T., his view in 

regard to alleged personal 

satire in Cynthia's Revels, li. Hi ; 

on Timon's relation to Cynthia's 

Revels, Ixxii. 
Buckets in a parish church, 178. 
Burning juniper, 192. 
Burre, Walter, 160. 
Button, 180. 



Candle-waster, 193. 

Carp has no tongue. 216. 

Carries meat in his mouth, 215. 

Carroche, 203. 

Castelain, M., on the diction of 
Cynthia's Revels, 169 ; estimate 
of Cynthia's Revels, Ixxvii. 

Catullus, 219. 

Chamberlain's Men, lii. 

Chapman, George, Ovid's Banquet 
of Sense, 174. 

Character -writing. Ixvi ff. ; in 
verse, 195 ; by Overbury and 
Earle, Ixix ; by Theophrastus, 
Ixx, Ixxi ; in Cynthia's Revels, 
Ixviii. 

Children of the Chapel, lii, 159. 

Cioppinos, 184. 

Cloak worn by speaker of pro- 
logue, 163. 

Clocks, 190. 

Cloves, chewing of, 189. 

Colors, wearing of, 212. 

Complementaries, 215. 

Constables, 189. 

Coryat, Crudities, 184. 

Costume, variety in, 191. 

Court commonplaces, 195. 

Court of Love elements in Cyn- 
thia's Revels, 221, 223. 

Courting-stock, 199. 



Index 



265 



Crack, 181. 

Cross pulled down by the Puri- 
tans, 177. 

Cutting of one cloth, upon another, 
220. 



D 

Daffodil, 172. 

Dagonet, Sir, 224. 

Date of Cynthia s Revels, xxi ff . ; 
xxxii. 

Davies, Sir John, ridiculed by 
Jonson, 219. 

Day, Thomas, 236. 

Dekker, Thomas, arraigned as a 
plagiarist, lii, 166 ; his ridicule 
of Jonson for the use of connive., 
203 ; Guls Hornbooke, 165, 193, 
198 ; Old Fortunatus, 180, 202 ; 
Satiromastix, x, xlix, liii, Ivi, 
Ivii, 185, 233. 

Delia, 199. 

Dictionary method of speaking, 
204. 

Dish of eels in a sand-bag, 193. 

Division, 173. 

Dogs, perfumed, 234. 

Donne, John, Satires, xxxvii ff . 

Dormouse, 194. 

Dramatis personcB, allegorical 
nature, xxiii, xxxiii ; allegorical 
significance, 162 ; their identity, 
xlvii f f . 

DueUng, 209—11. 

Dutch, satire on, 214. 

E 

Earle, John, his 'Idle Gallant,' 
Ixix. 

Echo, myth of, 163 ; songs and 
scenes, 174. 

Elizabeth, Queen, her defense 
by Jonson against dissatisfied 
citizens, xxiv ; flattery of, xxiii, 
162 ; Jonson's real opinion of, 
226 ; her last years, xxiv, lix ; 
represented by Cynthia, xlvii ; 
her representation in the 
masque, 229; unmoved by 
Cynthia's Revels, xxii. 



Emperor, the, 206. 
Encomium Demosthenis, 176. 
Essex, Earl of, see Actseon. 
Ex ungue leonem, 230. 

r 

Fadinger, 192. 

False teeth, 201. 

Fans, 190, 214. 

Far fet is good for ladies, 199. 

Feather, 211. 

Feature, 206. 

Ferrara, Dukes of, 176. 

Field, Nathaniel, 235. 

Fireworks, 207. 

Fleay, F. G., his identification 
of the characters in Cynthia's 
Revels, xxvff., xlviii. 

Folio of 1616, viii ff ., xii ff. ; of 
1640, xvii; of 1692, xvii. 

Foot-notes to the text of Cyn- 
thia's Revels, xxi. 

Foreign languages, 198. 

Foretop. 195. 

French disease, 179, 182, 223. 

Fungoso, 204. 



G 

Gallienus, Epithalamlum, 223. 

Garters, 196 

Gascoigne, George, Steele Glas, 
xxxviff., xli. 

Gentleman usher, 194. 

Gifford, William, his edition of 
Jonson, xviii ff . ; his estimate 
of Cynthia's Revels, Ixxiv ; his 
misstatement as to the re- 
ception of Cynthia's Revels, 
xxi ; his recording of Jonson's 
classical sources, Ixiii. 

Gloves, 208. 

Golden legacy, 206. 

Goldfinch, 208. 

Grammar, questions of, 167, 177, 
183, 187, 188, 195, 196, 206, 
226, 227, 230. 

Greg, W. W., his remarks re- 
garding variations in the im- 
pressions in the folio, xii. 

Guilpin, Edward, Skialetheia, xl. 



266 



Cynthias Revels 



H 

Hake, Edward, Neives out of 

Powles Churchyarde, xxxvi. 
Hall, Joseph, Virgidemiarum, 

xxxix. 
Hart, H. C, on tlie relationsliip 

of Timon to Cynthia's Revels, 

Ixxii. 
Hatband, 180. 

Healths, drinking of, 186, 202. 
Helicon, 176. 
Hieronimo^ 168. 
Hiring of apparel, 182. 
' His' used instead of genitive 

inflexion, 170. 
Hoffschulte, H., his identification 

of Actaeon and Niobe, xxv. 
Horace, 176. 
Hospitals, 165, 177. 



Interpreter for puppet-shows, 

203. 
Italian manner, the, 180. 
Italian print, 192. 



Jails, 165. 

Janus, 218. 

Jonson, Ben, his arrogance, 166, 
235 ; attitude toward fencing, 
209 — 11 ; as a character- writer, 
Ixvi ff . ; his opinion of court- 
iers, xli ff. ; his defense of 
Elizabeth, xxv; his dislike of 
' ignorant critics,' 168 ; his 
effort to secure advancement 
at court, xxv ; his fondness 
for what he had written, xxxij. 
his opinion of the multitude, 
229 ; as a realist, Ivii, Iviii ; 
his reverence for royalty, xxxi ; 
his revision of the quarto of 
Cynthia's Revels, viii ; spelling 
of his name, 160 ; Alchemist, 
xUii, xxxix ; Bartholomew Fair, 
Ix; Catilitie,lxni; Conversations 
with Drummond, xxxvii, xli, 
xliv, Iviii ; Epiccene, xiii, Ixxi ; 
Epigrams, xxxviii ; Every Man 
in his Humor, xviii, Ixxiv ; 



Every Man out of his Humor, 
xii, xxxii, xxxtii, xxxix, xlv, 
xlvi, xlviii, xlix, Iviii, Ixvii, 
Ixxi ; Explorata, xxxi, xliii, 
Iviii, Ixiv, 161, 169, 199; Netv 
Inn, Ixxi ; Poetaster, x, xi, 
xxviii, xliv, xlviii, 1, Hi, liii, Iv 
—Ivii, Ixiii, Ixiv ; Sad Shepherd, 
Ivii ; Staple of Neivs, Ixv ; Time 
Vindicated, xxxi ; Volpone, xliii, 
Ixx. 
Juvenal, 160, 167, 187, 201, 211. 

K 
Kyd, Thomas, Spanish Tragedy, 
198, 199. 



Lace, gold, 186. 

Lamp, smelling of the, 194. 

Latinized spelling, 172. 

Laundress, 167. 

Laura, 199. 

Lepanto, battle of, 200. 

Lindabrides, 197. 

Lions in the tower, 216. 

Lodge, Thomas, Fig for Momus, 
xxxviii. 

Long heel, 200. 

Love as the first principle of 
life, 225. 

Lucian, adaptation of, Ixiii, 170ff. 
Jonson's admiration of, 176 
Dialogues of the Gods, Ixiii 
Timon the Misanthrope, Ixiv. 

Lucrece, 218. 

Lupus in fahula, 189. 

Lyly, John, his frequent use of 
Cupid ridiculed, 163 ; Endimion, 
Iviii, Ix, 225, 226; Gallathea, 
Ixi ; Mydas, Sapho and Phao, 
Iviii. 

M 
Marston, John, arraigned as a 
plagiarist, lii, 166 ; his 'fustian' 
vocabulary, 191 ; Histriomastix, 
xliv — xlvi ; Jack Drum's Enter- 
tainment, xlvi ff . ; Metamor- 
phosis of Pigmalions Image, 



Index 



267 



Scourge of Villanie, xl, xlv ; 

What You Will, xl, liii ff . 
Martial, 161, 220, 235, 236. 
Masques, Jonson's first attempt 

at, 227 ; costumes in, 228. 
Master of Revels, 236. 
Matter preferred to words, 169. 
McKerrow, E,. B., his treatment 

of variations in impressions 

in Tlie Devil's Charter, xv. 
Melancholy, 188. 
Mermaid edition of Cynthia's 

Revels, xix. 
Middleton, Thomas, his imitation 

of the Palinode, 233 ; Micro- 

Cynicon, xli. 
Milton, John, Lycidas, 173. 
Mirror of Knighthood, 198. 
Mirrors carried by gallants, 188. 
Monkey as pet, 182. 
Motion, a puppet-show, 174, 181, 

201. 
Muff, 183 
Music, a form of recreation at 

court, 207 ; of the spheres, 

173. 

N 

]Naslie, Thomas, Lenten Stuffe, 
183, 206. 

Niobe, identification of, xxv ff . ; 
myth of, 173. 

Nicholson, B., discussion of Jon- 
son's punctuation, 153. 

O 

Oaths, Jonson's opinion of, 187 ; 
legislation against, viii. 

' Of,' its use to denote transfor- 
mation from aformer state, 231. 

Onyx as receptacle for perfume, 
222. 

Ordinaries, 193. 

' Or so,' 179. 

Outsides, 194. 

Overbury, Thomas, his character- 
sketches, Ixix. 



Painting, satire on, 215. 
Panther, breath of, 222. 



Paul's Churchyard, 161. 

Pavy, Salathiel, 236. 

Pawning of garments, 205. 

Penniman, J. H., War of the 
Theatres, cited, xliv, xlviii, 
xlix, liv. 

Persons of the play, see Dram- 
atis personce. 

Philosopher's stone, 183. 

Pictures on the stage, 166. 

'Piece,' 175. 

Piece of perspective, 166. 

Plato, Symposium, 225. 

Play-ends, 202. 

Pliny, Natural History, 220. 

Poesies for rings, 185. 

Poisoning faces, 201. 

Pomander, chain of, 221. 

Post-boy's horn, 200. 

Potatoes and oyster pies, 184. 

Presence, 187. 

Priapus, 177. 

Pride v/ill have a fall, 185. 

'Privately acted,' 159. 

Properties, stage, 166. 

Prophecies, a game, 205. 

'Protest,' 179. 

Proteus, 196. 

Pseudo-courtship, bitter ridicule 
of, 197. 

Puritan, 209. 

Purposes, a game, 205. 

Purse, embroidered, 204. 

Pythagorical, 205. 

Q 

Quarto of Cynthia's Bevels, vii. 
Queen of Love, 221. 
Quotation-marks as used by Jon- 
son, 172. 

R 

Ragioni del stato, 111. 
Reception of Cynthia's Revels, 

xxi ff . 
Revision of the quarto, viiiff. 
Revival of old plays, 167. 
Ribbons, 220. 
Riddles, 205. 
Rimer, 182. 

Roses on shoes, 178. ^^_ — 

Rushes, 192. 



268 



Cynthias Revels 



Salt, drinking below the, 185. 
Satire in Cynthia's Revels, of 

manners, xxxii ff. ; of persons, 

xlivff. ; influenced by Jonson's 

predecessors, Ixvi. 
Saved by bis book, 163. 
Scots Tragedy, lii. 
Shakespeare, William, As You 

Like It, 1 Henry IV, xliii ; Love's 

Lahor^s Lost, xliii, Ixii, 196 ; 

Timon of Athens, Ixxii, Ixxiv. 
Sheriffs' posts, 178. 
Ships, launching of, 182, 
Shoe-ties, 208. 
Short hair, 200. 
Shuttle-cock, 172. 
Sitting on the stage, 165. 
Sixth return upon venture, 175. 
Small, R. A., St age- Quarrel, cited, 

xi, xxvii, xxix, xxxii, xliv, xlv, 

xlix, liv, 224. 
Soldered groat, 187. 
Sources of Cynthia's Revels, Ivii ff . 
Southern, John, Jonson's ridicule 

of, 209. 
Stabbing of arms, 202. 
Stansby, William, 161, 
Stationers' Register, 160, 
Suburb, 192. 
Suit of buff, 194, 
Svpinburne, A, C, criticism of 

Cynthia's Revels, Ixxvi ; his 

view of the satire in Cynthia's 

Revels, xlviii. 



Tagus used for the Pactolus, 232. 
Taine, H, A., his comparison of 



I Cynthia's Revels with Aris- 
tophanes' satires, Ixv. 

Taste delights to, 202. 

Tennis, 183. 

Term, 201. 

Theatres, entrance price, 164 ; 
women at, 234 ; rivalry be- 
tween, lii. 

Theophrastus, Characters, Ixx — 
Ixxii. 

Timon, Ixxii ff. 

Tobacco, 165. 

Toothpicks, 189. 

Travel, 175, 178, 197. 

U 
Underwood, John, 236. 



Variants, their value, xx. 
Vice, buffoon of the moralities, 

188. 
Virgil, 211. 

W 

Waiting close, 164. 

Walls, taking of, 195. 

Ward, A. W., his estimate of 
Cynthia's Revels, Ixxv ; on 
Actseon and Niobe, xxv. 

Weeping cross, 232. 

Whal ley, Peter, edition of Jonson, 
xvii ff . ; his belief in the 
excellence of the folio, xx. 

' When mendisgraces share,' 224. 

Whetstone, 164, 181, 184. 

Whiff, 234. 

Wyatt, Thomas, first English 
satirist, xxxvi. 



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YALE STUDIES IN ENGLISH 
ALBERT S. COOK, Editor 

XLV 

CYNTHIA'S REVELS 

OR, 

THE FOUNTAIN OF SELF-LOVE 

BY 

BEN JONSON 

Edited with Introduction, Notes, and Glossary 

BY 

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Instructor in English in the University of Texas 



A Thesis presentad to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Yale 
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